Grassroots officers and soldiers of the national army are suspected of being forced to install official e-APPs. The Ministry of National Defense: Government orders are not compulsory.

Kuomintang legislator Xu Qiaoxin asked grassroots officers and soldiers at the Legislative Yuan Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee to install the new official e-commerce APP, and Lieutenant General Xie Junshan, deputy director of the General Affairs Office of the Ministry of National Defense, responded. (Extracted from the live broadcast of the Congress Channel)

[Reporter Chen Zhicheng/Taipei Report] In June this year, the Ministry of National Defense announced a "cloud information service authorization project" worth more than NT$36 billion to continue to promote the e-ization of the national military's official services. However, Kuomintang legislator Xu Qiaoxin pointed out that some grassroots officers and soldiers reported that they were "forced to install" related software and whether it would affect their assessment, sparking complaints. In this regard, Lieutenant General Xie Junshan, deputy director of the Communications Office, said that this move is to provide officers and soldiers with multiple channels to access official information, and there is no mandatory installation. He also revealed that an E-app for national military applications will be launched next year to improve the efficiency of administrative practice.

The Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee of the Legislative Yuan will review the "Draft Amendment to Article 39 of the Army, Navy, and Air Force Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers" today (11). Defense Minister Gu Lixiong was invited to attend the report and prepare for questions.

Kuomintang legislator Xu Qiaoxin said that the Ministry of National Defense announced a month ago that the winning bid for the "Cloud Information Service Authorization Case" was NT$36 billion 32.87 million, covering communication software cloud service authorization, cloud storage, corporate email, document co-editing, video conferencing, and Automated processes and AI assistance, etc.; however, some grassroots officers and soldiers reported that the army required "forced installation" and had to replace their phones with new ones, which even conflicted with the anti-theft function of the original Apple iPhone, triggering grassroots complaints and asking whether the Ministry of National Defense understands and grasps the relevant grassroots public opinion?

In this regard, Lieutenant General Xie Junshan of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the Communications and Electronic Information Staff of the Ministry of National Defense (hereinafter referred to as the General Office) confirmed that he had received complaints, but he emphasized that this part was only for promotional purposes. Although there are certain safety regulations for mobile phone hardware when installing software, officers and soldiers can also return to their seats to work on official computers. "There is no such thing as compulsion"; in addition, the matter of installing new official software "is not included in the assessment", let alone punishment.

Xu Qiaoxin further pointed out that the current "Regulations on National Military Personnel's Overseas Operations" require officers and soldiers who want to go abroad to apply and attach relevant information 20 days before leaving the country. However, in practice at the grassroots level, applications are often required 60 to 90 days in advance to cope with the lengthy approval process by multiple units. Xie Junshan responded that this mechanism is included in the bid and is planning the development of related APPs; Gu Lixiong also confirmed that the online application and verification system for officers and soldiers going abroad is expected to be completed next year (2027).