THRESHOLD MET:The defense ministry has until Oct. 5 to respond after at least 5,168 people signed a proposal on the NDC’s policy forum Web site
Taipei Times
Date: Aug 16, 2017
By: Aaron Tu / Staff reporter
Following last week’s announcement of a NT$200 million (US$6.6 million) change
From left, military personnel modeling new winter uniform jackets for the army, navy, marines and air force salute during a Ministry of Defense news conference in Taipei on Tuesday last week. Photo: CNA
to military uniforms, an online petition against the policy has collected enough signatures to ask the Ministry of National Defense to make a detailed policy statement.
The ministry on Tuesday last week said a new set of short-length winter jackets would be delivered to each branch of the armed forces by the end of next year. The announcement drew mixed reactions, with critics attacking the cost.
The Taiwan Military and Law Enforcement Tactical Research and Development Association initiated an online petition against the policy on a government platform on Friday, describing the change as “unnecessary spending for a non-urgent jacket.”
The policy was made to “cater to Minister of National Defense Feng Shih-kuan’s (馮世寬) personal tastes,” and NT$200 million would be spent on a jacket that not everyone in the military would wear, so there was no urgent need for the change and it would only take money away from more important the defense budget items.
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