National Security Bureau
Encyclopedia
The National Security Bureau (NSB; ) is the principal intelligence agency of the Republic of China
(Taiwan), including military intelligence
.
, to supervise and coordinate all security-related administrative organizations, military agencies and KMT
organizations in Taiwan. Earlier, the bureau was nicknamed "Taiwan's KGB" or "TKGB".
The first Director-General of National Security Bureau was an army three-star general Cheng Jie-min (:zh:鄭介民), with a background in military intelligence, who once was the deputy of the controversial Bureau of Investigation and Statistics
of the National Military Council
. (The "Military-Statistics Bureau
" (:zh:軍統) served under Dai Li
(:zh:戴笠), and even assumed command the "Military-Statistics Bureau" after the death of Dai Li in March 1946. As a result, the National Security Bureau is often seen as one of several successors to the Military-Statistics Bureau
.)
Initially, National Security Bureau did not have its own field officers or operatives. However, in order to strengthen its ability to guide and coordinate other intelligence agencies, NSB soon developed its own field intelligence officers and training pool.
on 30 December 1993, the National Security Bureau became a legal institution.
On 1 June 2000, a former NSB official who was a retired one-star army general made a personal visit to the PRC
and was detained three days later by the PRC Ministry of State Security.
A former chief cashier of NSB, Liu Kuan-chun (劉冠軍), was suspected of embezzling more than NT$192 million (US$5.65 million) from a batch of money returned from Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 4 April 1999. According to the National Bureau of Investigation, Ministry of Justice, Liu left the country on 3 September 2000, for Shanghai
, PRC. He reappeared in Bangkok
in January 2002 and then went to North America. Liu is still on the run.
In the afternoon of 19 March 2004, President Chen Shui-bian
(:zh:陳水扁) and Vice President Annette Lu
(:zh:呂秀蓮) were wounded by gunfire on the day before the presidential election, while they were campaigning on the streets of Tainan City. This failed assassination attempt, so called 3-19 shooting incident
, caused shocks in Taiwan, including a serious personnel review in the community of intelligence and security. Nine officials were impeached for dereliction of duty by the Control Yuan
. Among those were former National Security Bureau (NSB) chief Tsai Chao-ming (蔡朝明), former deputy chief of the NSB special service center Chiu Chung-nan (邱忠男). The Control Yuan said in an impeachment report that the National Security Bureau had received information on 18 March 2004 about a possible attack on the president, but did not take the intelligence seriously.
In 2004, former US State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary Donald W. Keyser has been arrested by the FBI for illegally handing over documents to two Taiwanese NSB officials who served as intelligence liaison officers in USA. Immediately, the director general of NSB, General Hsueh Shih-ming (:zh:薛石民), had recalled crucial intelligence agents from the United States.
The loyalty of NSB officials to the DPP
administration is constantly questioned. Traditionally, career personnel of law enforcement
, intelligence agencies, military organizations in Taiwan are labeled as pro-KMT
or pan-blue because most of them have been life-long KMT
members. However, National Security Bureau has been attacked by the opposition parties, including KMT
and PFP, for alleged power abuse under the DPP administration. Despite statements from several NSB Directors General on the political neutrality of the organization, some controversial events have still occurred.
In 2004, Chen Feng-lin (陳鳳麟), a colonel of the National Security Bureau's Special Service Center's logistics department confessed that he leaked classified information regarding security measures at President Chen Shui-bian
's (:zh:陳水扁) residence as well as the president's itinerary to Peng Tzu-wen (彭子文), a former director of the center who retired as a major general. Peng, a retired one-star general, revealed on TV that he would not "take a bullet for President Chen."
In August 2005, Peng Tzu-wen was indicted for leaking national secrets on TV and for potentially putting President Chen Shui-bian
's (:zh:陳水扁) life in jeopardy.
appointed Wang Jim-wong(王進旺), a former Director-General of National Police Agency with a career police background, to the post of NSB Deputy Director-General. In 2007, Hsu Hui-you(許惠佑), a former judge from the Taipei district court, former Director-General of the Coast Guard Administration, and at the time the Deputy Director-General of NSB, replaced a three-star army general (Hsueh Shi-ming) as the first civilian Director-General of National Security Bureau.
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
(Taiwan), including military intelligence
Military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
.
History
The organization was created in 1955 by a ROC Presidential Directive from Chiang Kai-shekChiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
, to supervise and coordinate all security-related administrative organizations, military agencies and KMT
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
organizations in Taiwan. Earlier, the bureau was nicknamed "Taiwan's KGB" or "TKGB".
The first Director-General of National Security Bureau was an army three-star general Cheng Jie-min (:zh:鄭介民), with a background in military intelligence, who once was the deputy of the controversial Bureau of Investigation and Statistics
The Investigation and Statistics Bureau
The Bureau of Investigation and Statistics was the intelligence agency of the Republic of China . It was devoted to intelligence gathering for purposes of national security and defense...
of the National Military Council
National Military Council
The command of the Chinese National Revolutionary Army was directed by the National Military Council , chaired by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II...
. (The "Military-Statistics Bureau
The Investigation and Statistics Bureau
The Bureau of Investigation and Statistics was the intelligence agency of the Republic of China . It was devoted to intelligence gathering for purposes of national security and defense...
" (:zh:軍統) served under Dai Li
Dai Li
Major General Dai Li was born Dai Chunfeng with the courtesy name of Yunong in Baoan, Jiangshan, Zhejiang, China. He studied at the Whampoa Military Academy, where Chiang served as Chief Commandant, and later became head of Chiang's Military Intelligence Service.-Early life:At age four, his...
(:zh:戴笠), and even assumed command the "Military-Statistics Bureau" after the death of Dai Li in March 1946. As a result, the National Security Bureau is often seen as one of several successors to the Military-Statistics Bureau
The Investigation and Statistics Bureau
The Bureau of Investigation and Statistics was the intelligence agency of the Republic of China . It was devoted to intelligence gathering for purposes of national security and defense...
.)
Initially, National Security Bureau did not have its own field officers or operatives. However, in order to strengthen its ability to guide and coordinate other intelligence agencies, NSB soon developed its own field intelligence officers and training pool.
Legalization
On 1 January 1994, shortly after the respective organic laws of the National Security Council and NSB were promulgated by the order of the ROC President Lee Teng-huiLee Teng-hui
Lee Teng-hui is a politician of the Republic of China . He was the 7th, 8th, and 9th-term President of the Republic of China and Chairman of the Kuomintang from 1988 to 2000. He presided over major advancements in democratic reforms including his own re-election which marked the first direct...
on 30 December 1993, the National Security Bureau became a legal institution.
Recent events
Though a few known intelligence failures of the National Security Bureau have surfaced in recent years, supporters have pointed out that the agency rarely, if ever, publicizes any successful operations.On 1 June 2000, a former NSB official who was a retired one-star army general made a personal visit to the PRC
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and was detained three days later by the PRC Ministry of State Security.
A former chief cashier of NSB, Liu Kuan-chun (劉冠軍), was suspected of embezzling more than NT$192 million (US$5.65 million) from a batch of money returned from Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 4 April 1999. According to the National Bureau of Investigation, Ministry of Justice, Liu left the country on 3 September 2000, for Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, PRC. He reappeared in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
in January 2002 and then went to North America. Liu is still on the run.
In the afternoon of 19 March 2004, President Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian is a former Taiwanese politician who was the 10th and 11th-term President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008. Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party has traditionally been supportive of Taiwan independence, ended more than fifty years of Kuomintang rule in Taiwan...
(:zh:陳水扁) and Vice President Annette Lu
Annette Lu
Annette Lu Hsiu-lien , was the Vice President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008, under Chen Shui-bian. She announced her intentions to run for President of Taiwan on March 6, 2007, but withdrew in order to support DPP presidential nominee, Frank Hsieh...
(:zh:呂秀蓮) were wounded by gunfire on the day before the presidential election, while they were campaigning on the streets of Tainan City. This failed assassination attempt, so called 3-19 shooting incident
3-19 shooting incident
The 3-19 shooting incident was an assassination attempt on President Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lu while they were campaigning in Tainan on March 19, 2004, the day before Taiwan's presidential election...
, caused shocks in Taiwan, including a serious personnel review in the community of intelligence and security. Nine officials were impeached for dereliction of duty by the Control Yuan
Control Yuan
The Control Yuan , one of the five branches of the Republic of China government in Taipei, is an investigatory agency that monitors the other branches of government...
. Among those were former National Security Bureau (NSB) chief Tsai Chao-ming (蔡朝明), former deputy chief of the NSB special service center Chiu Chung-nan (邱忠男). The Control Yuan said in an impeachment report that the National Security Bureau had received information on 18 March 2004 about a possible attack on the president, but did not take the intelligence seriously.
In 2004, former US State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary Donald W. Keyser has been arrested by the FBI for illegally handing over documents to two Taiwanese NSB officials who served as intelligence liaison officers in USA. Immediately, the director general of NSB, General Hsueh Shih-ming (:zh:薛石民), had recalled crucial intelligence agents from the United States.
The loyalty of NSB officials to the DPP
Democratic Progressive Party
The Democratic Progressive Party is a political party in Taiwan, and the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition. Founded in 1986, DPP is the first meaningful opposition party in Taiwan. It has traditionally been associated with strong advocacy of human rights and a distinct Taiwanese identity,...
administration is constantly questioned. Traditionally, career personnel of law enforcement
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
, intelligence agencies, military organizations in Taiwan are labeled as pro-KMT
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
or pan-blue because most of them have been life-long KMT
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
members. However, National Security Bureau has been attacked by the opposition parties, including KMT
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
and PFP, for alleged power abuse under the DPP administration. Despite statements from several NSB Directors General on the political neutrality of the organization, some controversial events have still occurred.
In 2004, Chen Feng-lin (陳鳳麟), a colonel of the National Security Bureau's Special Service Center's logistics department confessed that he leaked classified information regarding security measures at President Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian is a former Taiwanese politician who was the 10th and 11th-term President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008. Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party has traditionally been supportive of Taiwan independence, ended more than fifty years of Kuomintang rule in Taiwan...
's (:zh:陳水扁) residence as well as the president's itinerary to Peng Tzu-wen (彭子文), a former director of the center who retired as a major general. Peng, a retired one-star general, revealed on TV that he would not "take a bullet for President Chen."
In August 2005, Peng Tzu-wen was indicted for leaking national secrets on TV and for potentially putting President Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian is a former Taiwanese politician who was the 10th and 11th-term President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008. Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party has traditionally been supportive of Taiwan independence, ended more than fifty years of Kuomintang rule in Taiwan...
's (:zh:陳水扁) life in jeopardy.
Structure
The National Security Bureau is subordinate to the National Security Council. Under the chain of command, the National Security Council is under the direct administration of the President. However, the Director-General of the National Security Bureau usually can and does report directly to the President, bypassing the NSC.Chiefs
Traditionally, the successive bureau chiefs were exclusively military officers with the rank of three-star general, though this has changed in recent years. In 2003, President Chen Shui-bianChen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian is a former Taiwanese politician who was the 10th and 11th-term President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008. Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party has traditionally been supportive of Taiwan independence, ended more than fifty years of Kuomintang rule in Taiwan...
appointed Wang Jim-wong(王進旺), a former Director-General of National Police Agency with a career police background, to the post of NSB Deputy Director-General. In 2007, Hsu Hui-you(許惠佑), a former judge from the Taipei district court, former Director-General of the Coast Guard Administration, and at the time the Deputy Director-General of NSB, replaced a three-star army general (Hsueh Shi-ming) as the first civilian Director-General of National Security Bureau.
Field Divisions
As result of institutionalizing operations, the NSB now has six intelligence-related divisions --- International intelligence
- Intelligence within the area of People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of ChinaChina , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
- Intelligence within the area of Taiwan
- Analysis of the nation's strategic intelligence
- Scientific and technological intelligence and telecommunications security
- Control and development of secret codes and facilities
Centers
Also, there are three centers:- Special Service Command Center: Presidential Security and Protection
- Telecommunication Technology Center (Code Name: Breeze Garden, or :zh:清風園)
- Training Center
Oversight
This is also a special feature of the NSB since martial law was lifted. In addition to managing intelligence relevant to national security, it also takes charge of planning special tasks and is responsible for guiding, coordinating, and supporting the intelligence affairs in military and civil categories:Military
- The Military Intelligence Bureau, General Staff Headquarters, Ministry of National Defense (MND)
- Office of Telecommunication Development, General Staff Headquarters, Ministry of National Defense (MND)
- The General Political Warfare Bureau, Ministry of National Defense (MND)
- The Military Security General Corps, General Staff Headquarters, MND (Formerly, the Counter Intelligence General Corps of General Political Warfare Bureau, NMD)
- The Military Police CommandRepublic of China Military PoliceThe Republic of China Military Police is a military police body under the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China . Unlike military police in many other countries, ROCMP is a separate branch of the ROC Armed Forces.-Warlords Era:...
, Ministry of National Defense (MND)
Civil
- The National Police AgencyNational Police Agency (Republic of China)The National Police Agency is an agency under the Ministry of the Interior, Republic of China , which oversees all ROC police forces on a national level...
of the Ministry of the Interior - The National Immigration AgencyNational Immigration AgencyNational Immigration Agency or ' is the statutory agency under the Ministry of Interior which is responsible for immigration, entry and exit security, border services, citizenship, visas, and registration of foreigners transiting the Free Area of the Republic of China. The agency is headed by the...
of the Ministry of the Interior - Bureau of Investigation of the Ministry of Justice
- The Coast Guard AdministrationRepublic of China Coast GuardThe Coast Guard Administration of the Republic of China is charged with maintaining law and order, protecting the resources of the territorial waters surrounding Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu Islands, Green Island, Orchid Island, Dongsha Islands, and Nansha Islands as well as providing a first...
of Executive YuanExecutive YuanThe Executive Yuan is the executive branch of the government of the Republic of China , commonly known as "Taiwan".-Organization and structure:...
.