The Ministry of National Defense has made plans to harden Taiwan’s armed forces against extreme weather, it said in a report submitted to lawmakers to unfreeze the proposal’s budget.
Climate change woulds impact Taiwanese military infrastructure, operating procedures, energy supply and its relations with the forces of diplomatic allies, the report said.
The report was a condition for lifting a block on its ability to utilize 1 percent of its NT$402 million (US$12.58 million) national defense policy planning and guidance budget, imposed by the legislature.
Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Reuters
Global warming could lead to the formation of more typhoons, which could cause damage to military facilities and logistics and increase the burden of conducting disaster relief missions, the report said.
The construction of military bases, ammunition depots and logistics facilities would need to be hardened against flooding, mudslides, and extreme temperatures and humidity that spoil or set off explosives, it added.
Meteorological information collection and analysis would be bolstered to ensure preventive measures could be carried out before natural disasters could inflict damage to the military or impede its operations, the report said.
The cancelation of some military drills due to tropical storms has led to criticism over the Taiwanese armed forces’ capability to conduct operations in extreme weather conditions. In response, the military is to create guidelines for dealing with difficult weather and disseminate them across all ranks to ensure the armed forces can fight in adverse meteorological conditions, it said.
Climate change could lead to a range of new risks, including heat strokes, thermal injury and physical and mental wounds from the rigors of disaster relief missions, the ministry said, adding that the air force and navy would need to incorporate climate change and improved flight and navigation safety protocols in their professional education system.
These services must cooperate with the Central Weather Administration in training exercises and planning combat operations to minimize the negative impact of extreme weather, it said.
Priority should be given to developing the ability of commanders to swiftly respond to extreme weather events and make good operational decisions during their occurrence, it added.
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