ROC President Ma Ying-jeou said March 22 that the government hopes to learn from the experience of the U.S. military in developing an all-volunteer armed forces with upgraded combat capabilities.
ROC President Ma Ying-jeou said March 22 that the government hopes to learn from the experience of the U.S. military in developing all-volunteer armed forces and continuing to upgrade the fighting capabilities of the nation’s military.
Ma made the comments while receiving Richard L. Noyer, commander-in-chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, and Allen F. “Gunner” Kent, adjutant general of the organization, at the Presidential Office.
The president pointed out that the VFW, with nearly 3 million members, including wives of veterans, has significant political clout in the U.S., and that it regularly sends representatives to Taiwan for official visits.
Ma noted that during the first four years of his administration, he received three ranking officials from the VFW at the Presidential Office—Glen Gardner, Thomas J. Tradewell Sr. and Richard L. Eubank—in a clear illustration of the friendly relationship between the two sides.
“The VFW and the Executive Yuan’s Veterans Affairs Commission have engaged in intimate exchanges, while the U.S. military and ROC Ministry of National Defense have also maintained close relations,” he said.
To illustrate the close bilateral ties, Ma pointed to the U.S. government’s recent decision to help Taiwan upgrade its fleet of F-16A/B jet fighters and sell it an arms package worth more than US$18 billion to help boost defense capabilities.
“The ROC is a peace-loving nation, and my administration has over the last four years worked tirelessly to improve cross-strait relations, reduce tensions in the Taiwan Strait, and promote regional stability and peace,” the president said.
Both ROC and U.S. veterans have contributed greatly to national security in their countries, Ma said, with local veterans instrumental in safeguarding Taiwan’s security and developing of its infrastructure. (SB-THN)