Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology
| 國家中山科學研究院 | |
| Established | 1 July 1969 |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Feng Shih-kuan, Minister of National Defense |
| President | Lt. Gen. Chang Kuan-chun, ROCA |
| Location | Longtan District, Taoyuan City, Republic of China (Taiwan) |
| Website | www.ncsist.org.tw |
National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST; Chinese: 國家中山科學研究院; pinyin: Guójiā Zhōngshān Kēxué Yánjiùyuàn) is the primary research and development institution of the Republic of China Ministry of National Defense's Armaments Bureau and has been active in the development of various weapons systems and dual use technologies. CSIST is also involved in developing systems for Taiwan's civilian space program. The institute is administered under the Armaments Bureau of the ROC Ministry of National Defense (MND), and is headquartered in Longtan District, Taoyuan City, Taiwan.
CSIST was established by the Republic of China government in 1969 to serve as a military R&D and systems integration center. Early work includes various missile and radar systems, as well as systems integration for ROC military aircraft and ships.
The institute developed nuclear weapons during the Cold War. In 1967, a nuclear weapons program began under the auspices of the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research (INER) of CSIST. After the International Atomic Energy Agency found evidence of the ROC's efforts to produce weapons-grade plutonium, Taipei agreed in September 1976 under U.S. pressure to dismantle its nuclear weapons program. Though the nuclear reactor was soon shut down and the plutonium mostly returned to the U.S., a secret program was revealed when Colonel Chang Hsien-yi, deputy director of nuclear research at INER, defected to the U.S. in December 1987 and produced a cache of incriminating documents. At present there is no claim that any nuclear weapons program is being pursued.
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