The government’s whole-of-society resilience program is crucial to deepening Taiwan-US strategic cooperation, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) said yesterday in an interview with the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper).
Taiwan’s national resolve to defend itself, along with efforts to enhance defensive capabilities, undergird the foundation for the US and other foreign nations’ willingness to support Taiwan’s defense in the event of a conflict, Lin said.
The primary aim of the resilience initiative is to ensure civil and military authorities are mentally and intellectually prepared to fulfill their roles during wartime, Lin said.
Photo: Chen Yi-ling, Taipei Times
The initiative is also about empowering civilians with the ability to help their families and communities, and, when circumstances allow, assist military service members in their mission, he said.
“The core concept is that each person must be able to protect themself and others at a critical moment,” he said.
For example, Ukraine’s uncrewed aerial vehicle industry can count on family workshops to assemble and test drones before their use on the battlefield, he added.
Ukrainian civilians played a crucial role in repelling the initial Russian invasion forces by laying fake mines made from painted dishes, he said, adding that many Ukrainians were also trained in first aid to help protect their communities.
European governments found renewed interest in civil defense following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, setting an international trend in which Taiwan’s whole-of-society resilience program is a part, Lin said.
For instance, France has issued survival handbooks for civilians, while Germany launched a program to construct air raid shelters, he said.
The shared motivation behind the increased focus on preparedness among democratic nations is the rise of authoritarian powers seeking to overturn the international order and expand their territories through military force, he said.
The government’s resilience program does not indicate an expectation of an imminent crisis, but is an effort to ensure that Taiwanese would be calm and proficient to handle a crisis if it does happen, he said.
Taiwanese are urged to download and familiarize themselves with two government-designed mobile apps: Readiness TW e-App and Police Service App, which can direct users to shelters and emergencies near their location, he said.
In September, the government plans to release a new edition of the All-Out Defense Contingency Handbook, in hard copy and digital formats, he said.
The updated handbook includes practical and easy-to-follow instructions on basic survival materiel to stockpile, maps showing shelters and emergency services, wound dressing methods, cybersecurity tips and strategies for detecting disinformation, he added.
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