The Presidential Office's Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee is approaching its second anniversary of formal operations. However, following the passing of Master Jingyao in January last year and the resignation of former UMC Chairman Tsai Ing-sheng in June last year, Lin Min-hsiung, former advisor to the committee and Chairman of President Chain, has recently disappeared from the official website's list of members. On the 23rd, the Presidential Office confirmed to Storm Media that Lin declined reappointment due to a busy business schedule. As a result, of the four advisors originally personally appointed by President Lai Qingde, only Huo Shou-yeh, the retired four-star general and Chairman of the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, remains.

On June 19, 2024, just before marking one month in office, President Lai Qingde announced the establishment of three committees under the Presidential Office, including the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee. In September of the same year, the committee held its first meeting, during which Lai personally presented appointment letters and expressed gratitude, introducing Master Jingyao, Huo Shou-yeh, Lin Min-hsiung, and Tsai Ing-sheng as having 'taken on the advisory role,' hoping they would provide professional and strategic input on civil preparedness, strategic frameworks, and logistics distribution.

However, after Master Jingyao passed away on January 28, 2025, the committee first lost its religious representative among the advisors. Then, during the third committee meeting on June 26, 2025, Tsai Ing-sheng resigned from his advisory position, causing the committee to lose its civil society representative. At the time, the Presidential Office explained that Tsai had long been concerned about national security and social resilience, serving as an advisor since September 2024. The first term of committee members and advisors ended on May 19, 2025, and Tsai declined reappointment due to personal reasons.

Presidential Office: Lin Min-hsiung Steps Down Due to Business Commitments

After the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee held its eighth meeting on June 25 this year, Storm Media recently reviewed the committee’s official website and found that Lin Min-hsiung, the sole private-sector retail representative on the committee, was no longer listed among the advisors. In response to Storm Media’s inquiry on the 23rd, the Presidential Office stated that Lin declined to continue as advisor due to recent business demands, a decision the office respects, and expressed gratitude for his valuable contributions.

Notably, in July last year, President Chain participated in the 2025 Urban Resilience Exercise, temporarily closing one President Chain Welfare Center in Taipei, Taichung, and Tainan for nearly an hour to conduct air-raid evacuation drills. Additionally, the upcoming two cross-county civil defense mobilization exercises in August, coordinated with the military’s Han Kuang 42 exercise, include a drill scenario titled 'Establishment of Local Civilian Supply Stations,' with a note specifying that 'one location may partner with a private marketplace.' However, Lin’s resignation has raised concerns about the implementation of these plans.

Nonetheless, the Presidential Office told Storm Media that President Chain’s participation in whole-of-society defense resilience drills will continue as originally planned, unaffected by the resignation. Cooperation with President Chain will be further expanded this year, including exercises for civilian supply stations and real-world validation of smart logistics management systems, jointly enhancing societal defense resilience and civilian supply preparedness. In fact, during the sixth committee meeting on December 23 last year, Lin Min-hsiung stated, 'When the nation needs it, President Chain’s nationwide network and logistics system will fully support government operations and material distribution.'

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  • Source: PR Times
  • Category: 人事