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EMP
defense necessary, legislators say
WHY WAIT? DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-liang and
KMT Legislator Lin Yu-fang said budget concerns should not hinder efforts to
protect the MND’s new headquarters
By Vincent Y. Chao / Staff Reporter
The construction site of the
Ministry of Defense’s new headquarters in Dazhi, Taipei City, is shown
yesterday.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
The lack of protection against
electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapons at the Ministry of National Defense’s (MND)
new headquarters is “irresponsible” and could endanger Taiwan, a Democratic
Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker said yesterday.
Senior military leaders told the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei
Times’ sister newspaper) that the buildings under construction in Taipei’s Dazhi
(大直) would not be outfitted with EMP countermeasures as planned because of
budget problems.
The NT$200 million (US$6.9 million) system was scrapped despite comprising just
1.3 percent of the facility’s total construction budget and the NT$84 million
already invested in the system, the Liberty Times quoted sources as saying,
adding that the military was not happy.
The information comes amid news that China has been developing EMP weapons in
the event of a conflict with Taiwan.
EMP weapons can be used to emit a huge pulse of electromagnetic radiation that
can knock out all electronics — particularly computers — over a widespread area.
“The Ministry of National Defense should have built the protection regardless of
its budgetary concerns,” DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) said.
“Without it, it is like a soldier going to a battlefield not carrying a gun. Our
whole military network could be completely taken offline,” Tsai said.
The long-delayed headquarters complex has been under construction since 2003.
Originally envisioned to be a state-of-the-art facility, the construction
process has been plagued by contractor problems, including a bankruptcy, leading
to a Control Yuan probe.
The report about the lack of an EMP shield could trigger new questions over the
practicality of the NT$15.8 billion project.
Military analysts believe that China could be planning to cause a massive
low-altitude EMP burst over Taiwan in the event of an armed conflict in such a
way that would severely damage electronics — disabling weapons systems — but
kill few people and not impact China.
That scenario was detailed by a 2005 National Ground Intelligence Center report
declassified earlier this month. China’s EMP capability could be used as a
surprise measure after an initial strike to help dissuade the US from
intervening, the report said.
Ministry spokesperson Colonel Lo Shao-ho (羅紹和) told the Liberty Times that the
decision to drop EMP protection was made four years ago after changes to the
building’s design increased construction costs. However, the NT$84 million
already invested in the system meant it could be added at a later point, he
said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) said the system
should be put in place now, given the concerns raised by the recently released
intelligence report.
“It should be finished,” Lin said. “One EMP blast could immediately knock out
any product using a power transformer, including computers and other electronics
... it would be too late to deal with the aftereffects.”
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