Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) on Saturday said he hoped the new reservist training regimen launched a week earlier would boost the country’s combat readiness.
The reserve force plays an important part in Taiwan’s defense, but the training provided previously was insufficient, because it only lasted five to seven days, Chiu said after watching reservists conduct a drill at a shooting range in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口).
Reservists in Taiwan were previously required to train for five to seven days, four times in eight years.
Photo: CNA
Under the new program, they would train for 14 days once a year and participate in more intensive drills.
The military would monitor the results to see if the new regimen improves the combat readiness of reservists.
Saturday’s drill, which simulated defending a beach against an attack, was performed by some of the 400 reservists who started the new 14-day training program on March 6.
Chiu was also asked whether future reservist drills might include the FIM-92 Stinger or anti-tank guided missiles, which have reportedly played a critical role in Ukraine’s resistance against Russia’s invasion.
He sidestepped the question, saying only that the military would consider training with different types of weapons that are available to the military and can contribute to Taiwan’s defense.
After observing the training, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said the situation in Ukraine showed that in addition to international support and assistance, a country’s defense depends on the unity of its people.
She said she hoped that the new training regimen would nurture a stronger sense of unity and responsibility among reservists in protecting their homeland.
The Ministry of National Defense has been heavily promoting the new scheme on social media, showing pictures of reservists carrying out live-fire drills, and being greeted by children waving flags and shouting messages of support.
The ministry plans to have about 15,000 reservists participate in the new training regimen at the 24 battalions across Taiwan this year, while another 97,000 reservists would train under the original five to seven-day program.
Additional reporting by Reuters
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
A 79-year-old woman died today after being struck by a train at a level crossing in Taoyuan, police said. The woman, identified by her surname Wang (王), crossed the tracks even though the barriers were down in Jhongli District’s (中壢) Neili (內壢) area, the Taoyuan Branch of the Railway Police Bureau said. Surveillance footage showed that the railway barriers were lowered when Wang entered the crossing, but why she ventured onto the track remains under investigation, the police said. Police said they received a report of an incident at 6:41am involving local train No. 2133 that was heading from Keelung to Chiayi City. Investigators
RSS