President Lai Ching-te urges military reform and strategic thinking

President Lai Ching-te attended the opening ceremony for the 116th (2027) class of advanced military officer education at the National Defense University. Addressing the officers, Lai emphasized the need for the armed forces to undergo transformation to meet the challenges posed by evolving regional threats and rapid technological advancements.

Lai outlined three key directives for military leaders: first, to cultivate international strategic thinking by looking beyond local perspectives to understand global security dynamics; second, to embrace innovation and new knowledge, specifically in fields such as artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, and cybersecurity; and third, to assume leadership responsibility by building team trust and cohesion.

The President stressed that military education should focus on enhancing decision-making, cross-domain integration, and asymmetric warfare capabilities. He reaffirmed the government's commitment to supporting the military through increased investment in defense, improved personnel treatment, and better service environments to ensure the protection of Taiwan's democracy and peace.