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The Wire-tapping Soldier

The army is the faithful guardian of the people and the strongest supporter of their safety. Soldiers take responsibility to “defend the country and protect the people,” just like this wiretapping soldier above an enquiry booth. He set up a small mobile satellite aerial to intercept the communication signals of the enemy, so that any illicit attempts to impede MRT trains are exposed. HIs vigilance ensures uninterrupted metro operations and the safety of staff.

陸軍兵工

“Combat is reliant upon command; command is reliant upon communications.” Communications, electronics and information are used to establish command, communications, and control during joint combat. The armed forces must develop, operate, and maintain related systems while integrating the tactical data network for all military branches, developing a common operational picture, breaking down smokescreens, and achieving real-time joint command. Established in the face of technological warfare in the 21st century, the general staff for communications, electronics, and information are responsible for cable, wireless, and multi-channel communications as well as encryption and decryption, digital microwave communications, the Improved Mobile Subscriber Equipment system, satellite communications, tactical data links, and more. They support and safeguard other operations of the armed forces by harnessing communications capabilities throughout the electromagnetic spectrum and developing a wide range of communications and information networks.

Extended Reading

Officer Zhou Bing, the Unnamed Heroine

Military personnel involved in intelligence activities often choose to conceal their identities. Sometimes, they even forsake their military identities to carry out espionage operations.

Zhou Bing was one such nameless hero. It was only after her death that her accomplishments started coming to light and she became known to the world.

Zhou Bing was born in 1916 and graduated from the Chinese Military Academy in 1938. Her espionage work behind enemy lines spanned the period between the Second Sino-Japanese War to the Chinese Civil War. In 1949, she was promoted to major general of the 14th Column under the 1st Route of the Anti-Communist National Salvation Army, and soon began leading troops into battle as a female commander.

Seven months after being appointed as major general, she followed orders to infiltrate adversary camps and carry out recruitment for the armed forces. As she needed to travel to Shanghai and Hangzhou, she gave up her title as major general to conceal her military identity, to avoid her cover becoming compromised.

If this were the movies, the agent would get captured and be forsaken by her country. She would then be imprisoned, with nothing but fierce determination and patriotism to pull her through. Giving up her military identity for espionage activities made it hard for the armed forces to come to her rescue in times of need. She was essentially risking her own safety in the interest of diplomatic peace.

Around 1951, Zhou Bing was sent to Hong Kong to develop underground activities under the alias “Zhou Yu.” The operation was eventually blown and she was captured. After two years of incarceration by British Hong Kong, she was finally extradited back to Taiwan with the help of the government in 1958.

After valiantly sacrificing her titles at 33 years old, this former major general did not bask in glory upon her return. On the contrary, to avoid international disputes, her position within the military was not officially recognized. She did not receive her rightful pension as a commissioned officer and only collected a meager amount of home-care allowance from the Veterans Affairs Council. It was not until 1984 that she finally received her retirement certificate and had her rank as a major general reinstated.