The Ministry of National Defense yesterday said it would humbly accept criticism over its civil defense handbook and update it on a rolling basis after illustrations of Chinese military uniforms in the publication were criticized.
An administrator of Facebook group “IDF Ching-kuo Fighter” (IDF經國號) on Tuesday, mere hours after the updated All Out Defense Handbook was released, wrote that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) last year replaced older uniforms with its Type-21 family of combat and work uniforms, they said, citing reports from Chinese media.
However, the handbook portrayed the outdated uniforms, the post said.
Photo from the civil defense handbook
The new uniforms do not distinguish between the branches, the post said.
The ministry said the handbook’s “visual guide to enemy forces” in a chapter titled “Identification Friend or Foe” could not use photographs of the uniforms due to copyright concerns issues, adding that it would discuss how illustrations in future editions could better reflect reality.
The handbook shows PLA military in different uniforms according to branch and distinct patterns for summer, winter, jungle and desert.
The guide was to ensure that civilians would be able to distinguish PLA combatants from Taiwanese soldiers, said Lin Chen-kai (林楨凱), who is in charge of material mobilization at the All-out Defense Mobilization Agency.
The book would be updated if Taiwan or China introduces new uniforms, Lin said.
Asked about the similarities of uniforms, Major General Lin Wen-huang (林文皇), who is in charge of operational planning at the ministry, said that soldiers routinely use armbands to facilitate identification.
The color of the bands are rotated regularly to avoid the enemy from using the same color as a ruse, he said.
SCENARIOS: A potential conflict with Beijing would not be similar to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and China would target energy and food supplies, a researcher said China is likely to continue using economic and cyberoperations against Taiwan to force it to capitulate without resorting to a military attack, Fox News reported yesterday, citing the outcome of a tabletop exercise. Washington-based think tank the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) earlier this month held a tabletop exercise in Taipei focusing on Beijing’s use of economic and cybercoercion against Taiwan. The FDD mentioned an “anaconda strategy,” in which Beijing would likely use cyberwarfare and disinformation campaigns followed by a blockade or other measures to strangulate Taiwan, rather than attempting an invasion, the report said. A large-scale cyberattack would be
China sent 50 military planes and vessels to the vicinity of Taiwan in the 24 hours starting at 6am on Friday, while President William Lai (賴清德) was visiting Kinmen for the first time since taking office in May to mark the 66th anniversary of the 823 Artillery Bombardment. Flight paths released yesterday by the Ministry of National Defense showed that 38 military aircraft were detected in Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the highest number recorded in recent weeks. The figure included 32 that crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or its extension. Of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft
Kanye West on Wednesday announced the cancelation of the Taiwan part of the “Vultures Listening Experience” event, but said that the cancelation had nothing to do with him or his team. The US rapper, also known as Ye, was to hold the event with musical partner Ty Dolla $ign on Sunday at the Taoyuan City Stadium. The rapper had previously said he wished to travel to the event with his wife and eldest daughter. Ticketing Web sites had posted special notices about the event, calling it “a listening and fashion party,” not a "regular concert.” As of press time, no other information was known
Former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley yesterday called for more international backing for Taiwan and a coordinated pushback against China’s claims over the nation. “The United States should elevate Taiwan on the world stage. You should no longer be silenced in global affairs,” Haley told an audience at the Ketagalan Forum, a Taipei conference focused on security issues in the Asia-Pacific region. She called for Taiwan to become a full member of the UN, even though it is being blocked by China from representation in international bodies. While the US does not formally recognize Taiwan, it is the nation's strongest