As China continues to threaten Taiwan with invasion, President Tsai Ing-wen has appointed a new defense chief — the youngest in history.
When a military helicopter crashed in Kaohsiung in June last year, the then-Navy Commander Mei Chia-shu (梅家樹) visited the injured in a hospital. Two days later, he publicly apologized and bowed to the public when a crew chief died of injuries sustained in the crash.
It was also Mei apologizing and bowing when a COVID-19 cluster infection was detected aboard the naval vessel Panshih returning from Palau. These actions have earned him a reputation for handling sensitive problems.
Now Mei Chia-shu has been tapped for the highest military position in Taiwan — the Chief of the General Staff.
At 60, Mei is the youngest defense chief in the country’s history. He held a rank at Taiwan’s Armaments Bureau before being promoted to admiral in 2021 and navy commander a year later.
Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) says that Mei’s appointment shows President Tsai’s new layout for Taiwan’s national defense. It includes a push towards appointing younger officers as well as more international engagement.
Mei is seen as an officer familiar with the process of military procurement due to his background in the Armaments Bureau. And as a naval officer, he is also considered a supporter of Taiwan’s plans for domestic submarines.
This may have been a factor in his appointment to the highest military office in the country, as Taiwan’s first domestically produced submarine may be launched as early as September this year.
Tomasz Koper, Rti News