The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today (11^th) clarifies on media’s coverage “Is Institute for National Defense and Security Research becoming a shortcut for anyone aiming to become a high-ranking officer candidate?”, as follows:

1. The Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) was established by the MND this May by grant. Since INDSR is an important national think tank that carries out war strategic research and policy planning, the MND decides to learn from the ways other countries send their military and civil staffs to train at think tanks. The plan is to select excellent colonel-level staffs to train for one month at INDSR.

2. During training, we wish to increase exchanges between military and civil staffs through academic and research events, such as “research projects” and “domestic and international think tanks exchange seminars”, so as to accumulate thicker research capacity for national defense, as well as train staffs to become national defense and security experts who have global vision and strategic competencies.

3. The staffs sent by MND to take part in training at INDSR are all exceptional members selected from various units of the armed forces. The credentials that they will be given when training ends will only serve as reference for their future positions. The MND wishes the public to understand that by no means will INDSR be a shortcut for anyone aiming to become a high-ranking officer candidate.