The Ministry of National Defense is next year to start trialing a new model of reservist training, which would last for three sessions before the ministry launches a review and assessment of the scheme, an official said yesterday.
Tao Cheng-juei (陶成濬), deputy director of the ministry’s mobilization management division, said that reservist training under the new model would be yearly, lasting 14 days.
The military expects to train 15,000 reservists per year, he added.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
Each session, which would take twice as long as the previous method, and count as two sessions for a reservist, he said.
Reservists who completed their mandatory service within eight years of the training session would be prioritized for recall, he said.
Under the new model, reservists would train with a variety of equipment for a total of 28 hours, up from 12 hours, Tao said.
They are expected to fire 35 rounds with a pistol, 45 with a carbine and 69 with a machine gun, and launch 34 shells with a mortar, up from 15, 21, 33 and 17 respectively, he said.
Combat training would increase to 56 hours, and include marching, camping, squad-based attack and defense simulations, constructing defensive fortifications, administering medicine on the battlefield, using terrain to obtain a tactical advantage, and dismantling fortifications to pass through them, he added.
The military would hold traditional reservist training sessions concurrently with trials of the new model, ministry spokesman Major General Shih Shun-wen (史順文) said.
Retired non-commissioned officers who have not attended four reservist training sessions within eight years of leaving active military duty — a benchmark for being excluded from reservist training — would be listed as eligible for another four years, he added.
To incentivize reservists to attend training sessions, the ministry forwarded to the Executive Yuan a special reservists recall bill.
According to the bill, reservists who voluntarily attend training sessions would be eligible for cash awards starting on their fifth session.
The Military Service Act (兵役法) caps reservist training at four sessions within eight years after completing mandatory service.
Employers of reservists who are recalled for training are obligated to pay reservists as normal, but can file for a tax deduction for 150 percent of the amount when filing their annual income tax, according to the draft act.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
An exhibition celebrating Taiwan and Japan’s comic culture opened on Saturday in Taichung, featuring a section that explores Taiwanese reproductions of Japanese comics from when martial law limited Japanese representation. “A Century of Manga Culture: An Encounter of Taiwan and Japan’s Youth” held its Taiwan opening ceremony at Taichung’s National Taiwan Museum of Comics after an initial one-month run in Japan’s Kyoto International Manga Museum between May 24 and June 24. Much like the Kyoto exhibition, the show mainly celebrates the comic connection between Taiwan and Japan through late Taiwanese comic book
RSS