I fully approve of the structural changes the government has made to Taiwan’s military service system to enhance the battle preparedness of draftees.
However, there remains a lack of complementary provisions to cultivate a level of preparedness among the general public, such that any talk of “all-out national defense,” including the nation as a whole, remains empty words.
Despite the arrangements for the annual Wan An air drills — the series of military exercises and civil defense drills preparing Taiwanese for emergency situations — the majority of the public are still going about their everyday lives as if there is no immediate danger.
The exercises do not involve members of the public, notably women and citizens too young to have gone through military service, in any substantial way. There is very little classroom instruction, let alone practical application, pertaining to important aspects such as evacuation in times of war, objects and equipment that should be carried or coordination between the armed forces and the general public.
It is no exaggeration to say that Taiwan is ill-prepared, in terms of required equipment and facilities as well as a legal framework, to deal with public threats, be they earthquakes and other natural disasters or an imminent military attack.
Taiwan would do well to learn a thing or two from the approach taken in Germany.
I have been an assistant instructor in chemistry departments in German universities, and the classes in these departments include compulsory attendance of fire drills.
University students and faculty, often more than100 participants at a time, are expected to enter a smoke-filled room equipped with water or fire extinguishers and put out the source of fires in several locations. In some circumstances, firefighters demonstrate how to put out materials set ablaze for the purpose by patting out the flames with their bare hands.
Some people attempted to avoid participating in some of the more dangerous-looking activities for one excuse or the other, but my colleagues said that they all had a go. One particularly memorable instance was when a firefighter, wearing protective clothing, set his own back alight and ran around shouting frantically, simulating a scene in which a person was on fire, and the students were required to run after him and extinguish the flames.
The reason for this dramatic display was to teach people how to calmly deal with a similar situation should they be faced with it, providing them with the required experience and confidence to do so.
By comparison, the drills in which I have participated in Taiwan generally involve people watching pre-recorded videos, and even though firefighters are present, they are rarely required to become involved.
When even fire drills are handled in such a superficial manner, one can only imagine what members of the public would do when faced with a major, complex situation such as a military invasion by China.
Experts have said that people on an island lacking sufficient battle preparedness or understanding of what could happen should war break out would easily succumb when the unthinkable happens.
The government should provide detailed measures to deal with emergent situations, be they natural disasters or imminent war, and arrange for the participation of the general public in drills, It should also bolster military-civilian exchanges to ensure that people know what to do when disaster strikes and have the confidence to do it. This is what might be called “all-out national defense.”
Kao Chih-yun is a doctoral student studying in Germany.
Translated by Paul Cooper
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
RSS