Lawmakers are calling for reservist standards to be relaxed to boost their numbers, as well as for improved combat training.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) on Friday said that Taiwan should take lessons Ukraine’s preparedness for invasion.
Kyiv mobilized its reservists at the last minute, demonstrating a lack of systems in place to assemble them in time, Wang said, adding that simply handing out weapons to citizens does not make them adequate as troops.
Photo: Reuters
The majority of Taiwan’s 2.5 million reservists lack training, and the government should improve reservist instruction, he said.
The military’s first-wave reservists, numbered at 300,000, should be fully trained and on standby at all times, he said.
First-wave reservists are those expected to join the standing military force when an enemy launches a first strike against Taiwan.
A nation must have enough reservists to call on if total mobilization is required, DPP Legislator Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應) said.
He also called for reservist training on a regular rotation and said that the military should consider expanding the reservist pool.
Institute for National Defense and Security Research senior analyst Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) said Taiwan’s current “combat reservists” system only accepts those who retired after volunteering to serve in the military.
Relaxing standards would allow those who previously underwent mandatory service to join, he said, adding that the government should reinstate mandatory service of nine months to one year.
If this proves difficult, four months of service would suffice, provided there is regular recall training, he said.
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
One of two tropical depressions that formed offshore this morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. It is expected to move in a northwesterly direction as it continues building momentum, possibly intensifying into Typhoon Mitag this weekend, she added. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is expected to approach southeast of Taiwan on Monday and pass through the Bashi Channel between Tuesday and Wednesday,
Tigerair Taiwan and China Airlines (CAL) today announced that several international flights were canceled or rescheduled due to Typhoon Ragasa. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has maintained sea and land warnings for the typhoon. Its storm circle reached the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) on Taiwan's southern tip at 11am today. Tigerair Taiwan said it canceled Monday's IT551/IT552 Taoyuan-Da Nang, IT606/IT607 Taoyuan-Busan and IT602 Taoyuan-Seoul Incheon flights. Tomorrow, cancelations include IT603 Seoul Incheon-Taoyuan, as well as flights between Taoyuan and Sapporo, Osaka, Tokyo Narita, Okinawa, Fukuoka, Saga, Tokyo Haneda, Nagoya, Asahikawa and Jeju. On Wednesday, the IT321/IT322 Kaohsiung-Macau round-trip would also be canceled. CAL announced that today's