Taiwan's military is pushing back against claims it used a soldier education program to help a ruling-party politician ahead of local elections, saying the broadcast was old media-literacy content, not a campaign favor.

• A Taipei city councilor accused the army of airing a video featuring lawmaker Puma Shen during its daily "Juguang" troop education program, just as local elections approach.
• The Defense Ministry says the segment was recorded and broadcast back in April, on how TikTok can be used for foreign influence operations against Taiwan, and had nothing to do with this year's elections.
• Officials said the program regularly invites outside experts, officials, and lawmakers to teach on their specialty topics, and this was no different.
• The ministry stressed the armed forces stay neutral and nonpartisan, and urged the public not to trust unverified claims that it says damage the military's reputation for no good reason.

Outlook: Expect the opposition councilor's accusation and the ministry's denial to keep playing out as a political dispute rather than a resolved issue, especially as election season heats up.