The Formosa Republican Association (FRA), a non-governmental organization, held a series of large civil defense exercises in Nantou County over the weekend, bringing together about 100 participants to practice essential skills aimed at building grassroots resilience against war and natural disasters.
More than 10 civil defense groups from across Taiwan took part in the two-day drills at the National Fire Agency’s Training Center.
On Saturday, the first day of training, participants were divided into groups based on their specialities and assigned to scenarios requiring them to provide medical care to personnel injured in battle, evacuate wounded civilians and manage disruptions from hecklers, among other tasks.
Photo: CNA
Under the direction of a command center, the groups coordinated their actions in response to various scenarios, but appeared flustered at first.
After a break, participants reviewed the drills they had completed and discussed ways to improve.
In subsequent exercises, they handled tasks such as transporting and sheltering the injured with greater composure and confidence.
The second day began with drills focused on transporting injured soldiers from the battlefield to medical stations behind the front lines.
In another scenario, participants searched for and rescued semi-conscious or injured people trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building following a missile strike, transporting them to shelters or emergency medical stations.
Participants also tested their ability to manage an overcrowded medical station overwhelmed with casualties.
Deputy Interior Minister Ma Shyh-yuan (馬士元), National Fire Agency head Hsiao Huan-chang (蕭煥章), members of the Presidential Office’s Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee and several retired military generals observed the drills.
In his remarks at the event, Ma said that all participants were members of private-sector civil defense groups, which is an indication of the public’s determination to resist external threats against Taiwan’s military, freedom and democracy.
He expressed hope for greater public participation in such activities, saying it would help build greater societal resilience.
FRA chairman Jason Chen (陳彥升) said that the threat posed by China was growing, and civilians should be prepared to serve as a backup for the armed forces in the event of war or natural disasters,so that the country can better channel its strengths.
The FRA, a non-governmental organization that promotes political conservatism and national security, organized the event to help society prepare for times when its strength might be needed, Chen said, adding that the association is planning to hold more drills across Taiwan.
On Sunday, Lucy Liu (劉玉皙), a member of the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee, gave a briefing to staff members from the Japanese, Canadian and Dutch representative offices in Taiwan, who were present to observe the drills.
Liu said there were about 20 civil defense groups in Taiwan — not including the Kuma Academy and the Forward Alliance, which are larger organizations — that offer training in fitness, combat, shelter management, first aid and drone operation.
Chen Jung-pin (陳榮彬), a member of a New Taipei City-based civil defense group, told the Central News Agency that he found the after-action review particularly useful, adding that conducting a joint exercise involving different groups allowed members to network and familiarize themselves with each other’s resources, so they could collaborate instead of “going it alone.”
Yu Tsung-chi (余宗基), a retired army major general and special consultant for the FRA, said that armed forces are training to rapidly assume defensive positions in the event that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army shifts from a military exercise to a surprise attack.
In such a scenario, joint civil defense drills would also help shorten civilian response times and streamline necessary actions, Yu said.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
A 72-year-old man in Kaohsiung was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he was found having sex with a 67-year-old woman under a slide in a public park on Sunday afternoon. At 3pm on Sunday, a mother surnamed Liang (梁) was with her child at a neighborhood park when they found the man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), and woman, surnamed Huang (黃), underneath the slide. Liang took her child away from the scene, took photographs of the two and called the police, who arrived and arrested the couple. During questioning, Tsai told police that he had met Huang that day and offered to