Under the new regulatory framework, officers accumulating two major demerits due to misconduct will be forced to retire. They will also have retirement pensions reduced and be required to reimburse the state for the cost of in-service training.
“Military discipline is not easily developed nor maintained, but it is easily compromised by the shortsighted few who neglect their duties or violate regulations,” MND Minister Kao Kuang-chi said.
Kao made the remarks during an MND review of the recent security breach caused by Lt. Col. Lao Nai-cheng from army aviation special forces. Lao took family and friends on a private tour of an AH-64E Apache helicopter March 29 in Taoyuan City.
A pilot in the army’s 601st Aviation Brigade and deputy head of the Apache squadron, Lao invited the visitors without official approval and allowed them to sit in the cockpit of the high-tech helicopter. Photos of the tour were then posted on Facebook by one of the visitors, attracting widespread scorn and criticism of the military’s lax security standards.
The MND investigation also discovered that Lao illegally removed an Apache flight helmet from the base after a training mission last October and wore it to a Halloween costume party at his home. He was given two major demerits and will likely be forced to retire.
Army aviation special forces commander Lt. Gen. Chen Chien-tsai and 601st Aviation Brigade head Maj. Gen. Chien Tsung-yuan were removed from their posts in the wake of the scandal. Further disciplinary action was taken against army commander Gen. Chiu Kuo-cheng and chief of general staff Gen. Yen Teh-fa for unsatisfactory oversight.
Kao, who offered to fall on his sword, briefed President Ma Ying-jeou on the matter yesterday. Ma rejected his resignation and instructed him to focus on implementing stricter military discipline while maintaining morale and combat readiness. (YHC-JSM)
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