The capability to gain an understanding of a disaster situation in peacetime is also closely related to the capability to gain a firm understanding of enemy movements and casualties during war. This requires that the military form a good grasp of a changing situation — necessary in peace and in war.
Put simply, a military lacking disaster relief capabilities lacks the capability to wage war. Participation in one genuine natural disaster relief effort could be more effective in improving combat capabilities than a dozen military exercises. It also reveals problems with command, control, communications, intelligence, investigation, search, level of personnel training and suitability of equipment.
Compared with the Taiwanese military’s extracurricular approach to natural disasters, the Chinese military has always treated it as part of its tasks. Disaster response has been included in China’s defense white paper for many years, and in 2005, China also promulgated regulations on army participation in disaster rescue work.
The regulations stipulate that it is an important mandate of the military to carry out disaster rescue work.
They also stipulate that local military forces must provide relief assistance and report to their superiors when a local government requests assistance; that if local forces learn of a disaster zone, they must provide relief and report to their superiors; that when a local government organizes a disaster relief command center, the local military officer in charge of the corresponding military unit must take part; and that in areas often struck by disaster, the military and the local government must hold regular joint disaster relief exercises.
With this system in place, Chinese commanders cannot sit around and wait for local governments to request assistance, nor will they go unpunished if they provide too little help.
The military follows orders. If Taiwan’s leadership had been willing to issue them, the military would not have been so slow to react. It is frustrating that victims of this disaster were stuck with a commander-in-chief who would not issue orders.
If we would rather not hear excuses along the lines of “the law does not tell the military to save people if they are not asked to do so” or “the commander-in-chief did not order the military to mobilize,” then perhaps we should emulate China and enact military disaster relief legislation.
The commander-in-chief is not necessarily a capable person, but saving people’s lives is not a task that can wait until the commander-in-chief issues an order. If, in future, the duty to actively participate in disaster relief can filter down to local regiments, military police command centers and logistics command centers, we would at least not have to behold the preposterous sight of soldiers who want to rescue people holding back for want of orders.
Liang Wen-chieh is deputy director of New Society for Taiwan.
TRANSLATED BY PERRY SVENSSON
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