The China Post
Date: July 4, 2016
By: The China Post news staff
TAIPEI, Taiwan — In the wake of a fatal missile misfire, the Navy Command Headquarters on
Two R.O.C. Navy Kuang Hua VI class missile boats bring family members of slain fishing boat captain Huang Wen-chung to waters off Penghu in order to call back his spirit on Sunday, July 3. Huang’s vessel was hit accidentally by a domestically-produced Hsiung Feng III antiship missile launched from a patrol boat. (CNA)
Sunday tightened the authorization policy for warhead firing on military vessels.
The new policy places missile firing under the supervision of the ship’s captain or another commanding officer.
The new order will apply to various military vessel types, including patrol vessels such as the Ching-chiang class involved in the recent accident, and also to Keelung, Cheng-kung, Kang-ding and Chi-yang class destroyers and frigates. Standard operating procedures for warheads in other military branches are currently under scrutiny and evaluation as well.
On Friday, a military vessel located at Zuoying Military Harbor in Kaohsiung accidentally fired a missile, which hit a fishing vessel two minutes later, approximately 40 nautical miles away.
Following the disaster, Navy Commander Huang Shu-kuang stated that the missile was fired by petty officer second class Kao Chia-chun, who failed to follow standard operating procedures. Superior officers were not present when the missile was fired while set to the wrong launch mode. [FULL STORY]
