Army Aviation Special Forces commander removed from post

[KimJongUn]

Army Aviation Special Forces commander removed from post

2015/04/08 15:28:14

Lt. Gen. Chen Chien-tsai (陳健財), commander of the Army Aviation Special Forces Command

Taipei, April 8 (CNA) The commander of the Army Aviation Special Forces Command, Lt. Gen. Chen Chien-tsai (陳健財), was removed from his post and transferred to the Army Command Headquarters Wednesday in the military's latest punitive action against those involved in a major security breach in late March.

Chen was transferred to serve as a committee member in charge of compiling operational guidelines at the headquarters, National Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Luo Shou-he (羅紹和) announced at a press conference. He said Chen was transferred because he failed in his duties as chief supervisor.

Apart from Chen, Maj. Gen. Chien Tsung-yuan (簡聰淵), head of the Army Aviation Special Forces 601st Brigade, was also transferred to the Army Command Headquarters to be a committee member after being given three demerits for security lapses, Lou said.

In the military's investigation, Chien was also found to have brought friends and relatives in February to a hangar housing the 4H-64 Apache, Taiwan's most advanced attack helicopter, at an Army base in Taoyuan, without approval from his superiors.

Chien's case came to light after Lt. Col. Lao Nai-cheng (勞乃成), deputy head of a helicopter squadron under the 601 Brigade, was found to have taken showbusiness personality Janet Lee (李蒨蓉), members of her family and friends on a March 29 tour of the Apache hangar, and even let his guests sit in the cockpit of an Apache and take photos of the advanced aircraft.

Lee then posted photos of herself sitting in the pilot seat on her Facebook page, exposing the tour in a restricted military area. The photos exposed confidential information relating to the advanced electronics system of the attack helicopter.

Minister of National Defense Kao Kuang-chi (高廣圻) made a public apology Tuesday for the security lapses, which also include an incident in which Lao, an Apache pilot and flight instructor, wore a helmet-mounted display used with the helicopter to a private party.

The helmet is listed as a controlled item that should not be taken off the base.

(By Lu Hsin-huei and Elizabeth Hsu)