Taiwan’s military would send a delegation to Israel next year to learn about the Middle Eastern nation’s conscription and reserve force systems as Taipei prepares to overhaul its own reserve forces, a Ministry of National Defense (MND) official said yesterday.
All-out Defense Mobilization Office Director Major General Han Gan-ming (韓岡明) said that Taiwan would implement a full-scale reform of its reserve forces starting in 2022 and the trip to Israel is part of the preparations.
“We want to learn from Israel’s experience as a reference for our reforms,” Han told a legislative hearing in Taipei.
A delegation of three who would visit Israel sometime from July to September would focus on the Israeli reservists’ call-up system, training programs and compensation, the ministry said.
Israel was chosen because its conscription system is similar to Taiwan’s, although all Israeli citizens are subject to conscription regardless of gender, Han said.
The ministry in 2016 made similar trips to Israel and Sweden.
Minister of National Defense Yen De-fa (嚴德發) earlier this year announced that the military is taking measures to make reserve forces a more reliable backup for regular forces in protecting the nation amid increased military maneuvers by China.
These measures include increasing the frequency and duration of call-ups, and providing better equipment for reservists and scaling up their training, Yen said.
Reservists are called up every two years for training at a military base near their residence to maintain their basic combat skills.
They can be called upon no more than twice within eight years after being discharged from their military service.
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