National Security Bureau (Taiwan)

History

The organization was created in 1955 by a ROC Presidential Directive from Chiang Kai-shek, to supervise and coordinate all security-related administrative organizations, military agencies and KMT organizations in Taiwan. Earlier, the bureau was nicknamed "China's CIA" or "CCIA".

The first Director-General of National Security Bureau was a three-star army general , 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" served under Dai Li, 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.

The National Security Bureau was involved in the 1980 murder of lawyer and opposition politician Lin I-hsiung and his family.

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-hui 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{{ cite news

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 money returned from the 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 remains a fugitive.{{ cite news

In the afternoon of 19 March 2004, President Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lu were wounded by gunfire the day before the presidential election, while campaigning in Tainan in what would later to become known as the March 19 shooting incident. Afterwards, the Control Yuan impeached nine officials for dereliction of duty,{{cite news

In 2004, former US State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary Donald W. Keyser was 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 the NSB, General Hsueh Shih-ming, recalled crucial intelligence agents from the United States.{{cite news

The loyalty of NSB officials to the Democratic Progressive Party is constantly questioned. Traditionally, career personnel of law enforcement, intelligence agencies, and military organizations in Taiwan are labeled as pan-blue because most of them have been lifelong Kuomintang members. However, while the DPP is in power, the National Security Bureau has been attacked by the KMT and People First Party for alleged abuses of power. 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 logistics department, Special Service Center, National Security Bureau, confessed that he leaked classified information regarding security measures at President Chen Shui-bian's 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 Chen's life in jeopardy.

In April 2025, the NSB reported an uptick in disinformation by the Chinese Communist Party compared to the previous year, including increased use of artificial intelligence.

Structure

The National Security Bureau is subordinate to the National Security Council (NSC). Under the chain of command, the NSC 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-bian appointed Wang Ginn-wang, a former Director-General of National Police Agency with a career police background, to the post of NSB Deputy Director-General. In 2007, Shi Hwei-yow, 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 Shih-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:

1. International intelligence
2. Intelligence within the area of People's Republic of China
3. Intelligence within the area of Taiwan
4. Analysis of the nation's strategic intelligence
5. Scientific and technological intelligence and telecommunications security
6. Control and development of secret codes (the matrix) and facilities
7. Armed Forces Internet Security

Centers

The NSB has three centers:

1. Special Service Command Center (特種勤務指揮中心): Presidential Security and Protection
2. Telecommunication Technology Center (code name Breeze Garden, :zh:清風園)
3. Training Center

Oversight

After martial law was lifted, the NSB has also taken charge of planning special tasks, and it 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) :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){{cite news |script-title=zh:媽媽咪呀 1.5億防共諜 軍方反情報 經費擴編15倍 |access-date=2008-06-08 |archive-date=2011-07-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718083128/http://blog.xuite.net/a6896023/1/7945647 |url-status=dead :The Military Police Command, Ministry of National Defense (MND)

Civil

:The National Police Agency of the Ministry of the Interior :The National Immigration Agency of the Ministry of the Interior :Bureau of Investigation of the Ministry of Justice :The Coast Guard Administration of Executive Yuan.

Directors-General

• (August 1954 – 11 December 1959)
• Chen Ta-ching (12 December 1959 – 30 November 1962)'
• Hsia Chi-ping (1 December 1962 – 30 June 1967)
• Chou Chung-feng (1 July 1967 – 30 June 1972)
• Wang Yung-shu (1 July 1972 – 30 November 1981)
• (1 December 1981 – 14 December 1985)
• (15 December 1985 – 31 July 1993)
• (1 August 1993 – 31 January 1999)
• (1 February 1999 – 15 August 2001)
• Tsai Chao-ming (16 August 2001 – 31 March 2004)
• Hsueh Shih-ming (1 April 2004 – 6 February 2007)
• (7 February 2007 – 19 June 2008)
• Tsai Chao-ming (20 June 2008 – 10 March 2009)
• Tsai De-sheng (11 March 2009 – 11 May 2014; acting until 30 April 2009)
• Lee Shying-jow (12 May 2014 – 23 July 2015)
• Yang Kuo-chiang (24 July 2015 – 25 October 2016)
• Peng Sheng-chu (26 October 2016 – 22 July 2019)
• Ko Cheng-heng (23 July 2019) (acting)
• Chiu Kuo-cheng (24 July 2019 – 22 February 2021)
• Chen Ming-tong (23 February 2021 – 31 January 2023)
• Tsai Ming-yen (31 January 2023 – present)

References

References

1. "NSB implicated in 1980 Kaohsiung family murders". Taipei Times.
2. Chuang, Jimmy. (September 9, 2004). "Presidential Office leak discovered". Taipei Times.
3. STAFF WRITER. (October 22, 2005). "Former top security chief reprimanded in court by judge". Taipei Times.
4. (2025-04-09). "NSB reports on CCP propaganda".
5. (21 July 2015). "New NSB director-general, NSC deputy secretary-general named - Focus Taiwan".
6. (19 October 2016). "NSB head, Presidential Office secretary-general resign - Focus Taiwan".
7. (22 July 2019). "High-ranking officials quit over smuggling scandal - Focus Taiwan".
8. (24 July 2019). "Veterans Affairs Council head named new top intelligence chief - Focus Taiwan".