Top level defence debrief

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen convened a meeting of top defence officials yesterday following a helicopter crash that killed the island’s top military officer and other prominent personnel. In a tweet, Tsai said the morning conference focused on ensuring military morale, security in and around the Taiwan Strait and the importance of “complete equipment inspections.” That followed the grounding for inspection of Taiwan’s

52 UH-60M Black Hawk choppers belonging to the Air Force, Army and National Airborne Service Corps. Thursday morning’s crash in forested mountains outside the capital Taipei killed eight people including the

63-year-old chief of the general staff General Shen Yi-ming. A former pilot and air force chief, Shen had since July been largely responsible for overseeing the self-governing island’s defence against China.