The military has ordered all branches and divisions to meet on Tuesday to review order and discipline. The order came on Monday after an army officer brought 26 civilians on an unauthorized tour of a military base where Apache attack helicopters are housed.
The officer in question -- Lao Nai-cheng -- is under investigation for violating Taiwan’s national intelligence law and other related codes. He has been removed from his post and could face up to 15 years in prison.
The unauthorized tour is the latest blow to the military’s image, following closely on the heels of allegations of misconduct and sexual harassment.
President Ma Ying-jeou has also demanded that the defense ministry conduct a serious review of order and discipline. Presidential Office spokesman Chen I-hsin said on Monday that the president is deeply concerned about military discipline.
“President Ma has asked the defense ministry to enforce discipline in a thorough, comprehensive and concrete way so as to rebuild the military’s standards," said Chen. "The excellent tradition of strictly following orders and discipline must be enforced in order to rebuild the public’s confidence in the military."
The defense ministry has already issued an apology, promising to review its lapses and fully cooperate with investigators.