TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Former Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) will serve as missile adviser at one of Taiwan’s top weapons manufacturers, reports said Tuesday (May 21).
The retired Army general left government Monday (May 20), as Wellington Koo (顧立雄) was sworn in as his successor and as the first civilian to head the Ministry of National Defense (MND) in a decade.
The state-run National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) offered Chiu a position as a paid adviser for its missile program, the Liberty Times reported. He will oversee a budget of NT$236.9 billion (US$7.33 billion) devoted to the Sea-Air Combat Power Improvement Plan.
When Chiu served concurrently as minister and NCSIST chair, he reportedly resolved a parts shortage for the company’s missile program. NCSIST was interested in his management expertise and knowledge of its weapons programs.
Chiu will earn a monthly salary of NT$37,000, but he will not have an official car or office space at the company’s headquarters in Taoyuan City.