Taiwan’s societal resilience and civil defense efforts must match the multi-domain, structural, persistent national security threat posed by China, international analysts said in a book.
The Defense of Taiwan and Resilience (台灣防衛與韌性) is an anthology of studies by experts from the Institute of National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), Japan and the Philippines, Horizon Publishing (黑體文化) said earlier this week.
The massive expansion in China’s military, economic and “gray zone” actions targeting Taiwan significantly complicated the nation’s security challenges, it cited the book as saying.
Photo courtesy of Horizon Publishing
Traditional national defense paradigms offer few answers to Beijing’s leveraging of conventional military means, cognitive warfare, human and data-based infiltration, maritime “gray zone” activities and attacks on digital infrastructure, Horizon said.
The multi-domain, structural and persistent threat posed by China can only be opposed by an all-domain strategic capability that integrates military, societal, economic and psychological defenses within Taiwan, it said.
The effort to bolster societal resilience cannot be reduced to the mobilization of the public and industries; it must encompass a comprehensive range of strategic capabilities, Horizon said.
This effort, which requires a comprehensive internal reform, is necessary for deterring China and securing support from the nation’s allies and partners, it added.
The anthology comprises 10 papers on the theory and practice of resilience, analysis of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) activities in the region and the responses they elicited in Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines, and countermeasures against “gray zone” activities targeting undersea Internet cables and strategic industries, it said.
The book’s most important contribution is articulating the challenges to Taiwan’s quest for defensive resilience, Horizon cited retired army general first class Huo Shou-ye (霍守業), who now chairs the INDSR, as saying.
National defense capabilities and deterrence rest not only on the number of weapon systems and forces, but also the public’s will to resist, he said.
The continued existence of the democratic national order, too, depends on its citizens’ collective ability to recognize hostile attempts to infiltrate and divide Taiwanese society, Huo said.
Young Taiwanese, grassroots-level civil defense, local governments, key industry sectors, the media’s information environment and the nation’s network of allies would be key parts in Taiwan’s national defense apparatus, he said.
Deputy Minister of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said effective civil defense hinges on society’s vitality.
The cooperation among volunteer disaster relief workers, volunteer firefighters, religious groups, enterprises and communities during natural disasters has been a heartening development, he said.
The book offers insight into the relevance of governance, public policy, civic participation and the workings of society to resilience, he added.
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