Editorial: No more closed-door review by National Armed Forces | Apple Daily Taiwan
Two F-5E fighters of the National Air Force have crashed after mid-air scrapes during a training session, killing one of the two young pilots and leaving the other unaccounted for. The National Armed Forces are the cornerstone of Taiwan’s national security, and the Air Force holds the key to Taiwan’s defense. In the string of major accidents suffered by the Armed Forces last year, 21 soldiers were killed, including Chief of the General Staff Shen Yiming. The two F-5Es that crashed the day before yesterday included, our Air Forces have lost four fighter jets (three F-5Es and one F-16) within less than five months since October 29 last year. They were accompanied by the even more sorrowful loss of the precious lives of pilots. Profound sadness leaves one speechless. However, the issue is far too important, and Taiwanese people have no choice but to comment on it.
Every time after such a tragedy happens, the families of the deceased are plunged into great sadness. Our soldiers’ morale is damaged, our military strength is weakened, the public is puzzled and disturbed, and the impact on national security far exceeds the incident itself. From the commander-in-chief to the upper echelons of the National Army, they, in sadness after every such tragedy, invariably issue orders of rescue, remembrance, bereavement compensation, investigations and review. Still, such incidents have recurred repeatedly, showing that these actions have fallen short either as palliatives or real solutions. We are afraid that the factors that have contributed to these incidents are manifold, and there is a crack in the system.
Standards must not be lowered
Is the equipment too old? Are the logistics and maintenance reliable? Is training adequate, precise, and practical? Are discipline, morale and management up to standard and reasonable? What are the weather conditions? All these factors can contribute to an accident. Furthermore, more than one factor can be at play, since these factors are interrelated and intertwined.
The military has a huge organizational structure. It involves a large number of people and a diverse mix of traits and qualities. Military equipment entails high technology and a wide array of parts, and soldiers often have to do their work in the harshest and hardest environments. Such being the case, to have zero accidents is like reaching for the stars. This is why the National Armed Forces need not hamstring themselves, set a lower bar for themselves, or make training easier for fear of another such incident. What should be investigated in depth is how the Taiwan Armed Forces compare with other countries’ armed forces in terms of the incidence of accidents as well as the numbers and proportions of casualties. It also matters whether the specific reason for these incidents can be found accurately and solutions can be adopted to address the problems specifically.
The military is a relatively closed system. It is easy to confuse confidentiality with the black box (the truth), honor with face, hierarchy with cover-ups, and discipline with blind obedience. It is difficult for society to monitor the military and grasp the complete facts. The Taiwanese people’s particular respect for soldiers, who put their lives at risk in their defense of the country, also makes outsiders tend to trust the military’s closed management and the results of the investigations they have conducted. This has the advantage of more efficient military operations, but it also leads to the presence of many issues unbeknown to outsiders or long-standing issues that are widely known but difficult to remedy. When such issues build up to such a point that they become unsolvable, the so-called accidents and tragedies will happen one after another, dealing a heavy blow to the military’s morale, combat capabilities and image.
The fraud cases concerning the procurement of Lafayette frigates and Mirage 2000 in the 1980s demonstrated to the Taiwanese people that the internal discipline and integrity of the military were corrupt to the core. The scandals dealt a heavy blow to the country that it has yet to fully emerge from. In recent years, the procurement of minehunters, “Clouded Leopard” armored vehicles and even military vehicle tires have still been plagued by repeated irregularities. It can be seen from this alone that the military has failed to close its loopholes completely mentality-wise or system-wise.
Meaningless loss should be prevented
Such a state of affairs leads to slack military discipline and affects the quality of weapons and equipment. If these phenomena and problems get tangled up, the National Armed Forces’ equipment, maintenance, training, discipline, morale, and management will no doubt be directly and indirectly affected. Is a so-called accident really an accident? Are those heartbreaking tragedies really unavoidable?
Taiwan faces a difficult international situation. It is not easy to obtain advanced weapons and equipment. The CCP is stepping up its military threats to Taiwan day by day. Under tremendous pressure on the front line, the army is widely respected by the Taiwanese people, who are willing to do everything they can to support it. Precisely because of this, however, the senior management of the Taiwanese military must first recognize the problem, identify it and face it squarely. Only by doing so can the government and the Taiwanese people jointly mobilize and allocate various resources and make good use of their expertise, wisdom and creativity to find ways to solve the problem or at least improve the situation.
Our national defense is the lifeblood of our national security. The military is at the core of our national defense capabilities. With such a matter of great importance, Taiwan cannot afford any more losses that should be avoided, that can be avoided, but that have been suffered by the National Armed Forces. Reform must begin now.
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