President Lai recently presided over the General and Flag Officer Promotion Ceremony for July 2025, where he urged the newly-promoted officers to continue their efforts to strengthen the military through flexible and pragmatic approaches. By taking into account the environmental conditions of Taiwan and capitalizing on the use of newly formed forces, the nation’s military can become a bulwark of defense for the nation’s sovereignty, freedom, and democracy. During National Unity Month, President Lai voiced his hopes that the Han Kuang Exercises would demonstrate to the world Taiwan’s resolve and capability to defend itself.
President Lai encouraged officers to strive for excellence and strengthen the military
President Lai was accompanied by Pan Men-an, Secretary-General to the President; Joseph Wu, Secretary-General of the National Security Council; Wellington Koo, Minister of National Defense; Admiral Mei, Chief of the General Staff; Admiral Tang, Chief of the Navy; and Gen. Cheng, Chief of the Air Force while presiding over the General and Flag Officer Promotion Ceremony for July 2025. President Lai stated that aside from entailing greater responsibilities, these promotions also meant greater expectations from the nation and its people. Thus, President Lai urged all officers to work together in strengthening the military.
President Lai noted that under Lt. Gen. Jie Jyun-shan’s leadership, the ROCAF cloud service system was successfully created and implemented, reinforcing the nation’s information warfare capabilities by advancing digital innovation and transformation in information systems. RADM Cheng Yung-hsi, Maj. Gen. Jhong Kun-chang, and Maj. Gen. Liu Yu-teng contributed greatly to furthering international and military exchanges with diplomatic allies, upgrading the combat capabilities of the F-16 fighter jet and preparing subsequent training programs, and integrating air defense systems across different services - thereby enabling the military to conduct strikes and intercepts with speed and precision. President Lai thanked them for their service and dedication towards strengthening national defense.
President Lai stated that in a world of constant change and growing threats, Taiwan must redouble its efforts to implement national defense reforms. In addition to replacing obsolete equipment with new and sophisticated equipment, the military must also seek to acquire various unmanned systems. Such systems would strengthen the military’s combat capabilities and tactical flexibility.
Maximizing the effectiveness of newly formed forces through thorough planning
President Lai urged the newly promoted officers to continue their efforts to strengthen the military through flexible and pragmatic approaches. By taking into account the environmental conditions of Taiwan and carefully planning training, deployment, and tactics, the effectiveness of newly-formed forces can be maximized, enabling the military to become a bulwark of defense for the nation’s sovereignty, freedom, and democracy. While thanking family members for attending the ceremony, President Lai emphasized how their support and care enabled their loved ones to fully dedicate themselves to their duties.
President Lai noted that July was National Unity Month. With the Han Kuang and urban resilience exercises set to begin, President Lai hoped that these exercises would demonstrate to the world Taiwan’s resolve and capability to defend itself.
Source: Youth Daily News (2025.7.1)