Before the local elections last month, United Microelectronics Corp founder Robert Tsao (曹興誠) proposed an important plan to educate and train civil defense volunteers through a grassroots organization called the Kuma Academy, generating debate across the political spectrum.
However, after the elections, debate surrounding the proposal appears to have dwindled.
Tsao’s plan to train civil defense volunteers and organize civil military resources is crucial for improving the nation’s defense capability.
The proposal should not be seen as another topic that trended temporarily during the elections. Rather, it should be seriously considered as a way to consolidate the nation.
I support the idea of advocating for a civil defense apparatus, and I agree with the goal of establishing Kuma Academy. Training civil defense volunteers is integral to a country’s national defense capacity.
It is not just an election-year topic, and it is not meant to aid a certain political party. As civil defense is a part of national defense, the Ministry of National Defense should be in charge of supervising and managing civilian volunteers.
At the same time, civil organizations should be encouraged to participate in training, to enhance military defense capacities.
The Kuma Academy has been rejected by the Taiwanese armed forces, partly because it was seen as partisan.
Training of civilian volunteers is currently not assigned to any military section or department, and as it has remained nobody’s responsibility, the armed forces naturally did not consider the proposal.
To solve the problem, the All-out Defense Mobilization Agency and the Armed Forces Reserve Command — responsible for muster recall, education recall and service recall of reservists — should establish a command in charge of civilian volunteers.
This new command would organize and train civilians as part of the reserve forces.
The Armed Forces would enhance Taiwan’s military power, which has been criticized for years due to loosely trained conscripts.
Under the new command, civilian forces would be mobilized through voluntary military recruitment and would not have to go through mandatory military service.
They would be trained according to their expertise, and as voluntary soldiers, they would be paid.
In this way, a well-built troop would materialize as a part of the nation’s reserve forces.
Last line of defense
In peacetime, the volunteers could work with local governments to maintain public security.
In wartime, the All-out Defense Mobilization Agency could supervise the volunteers and deploy them as a last line of defense.
In urban and rural areas, civil defense soldiers would engage in guerrilla warfare. This would demonstrate the determination of Taiwanese to protect their country and resist the enemy.
On the one hand, it would buy Taiwan time, so that it could wait for allies to come to its aid.
On the other hand, it could exhaust the enemy through guerrilla tactics.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has taught a valuable lesson. Taiwan should learn from Ukraine, especially how its people have stayed put.
As long as Taiwanese persevere, the country can win a great victory.
Chen Chun-sheng is an instructor at the Republic of China Air Force Academy.
Translated by Liu Yi-hung
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