Taiwanese armed forces must adapt their training and concepts to modern warfare, a military preparedness advocate said yesterday after a government report revealed that most reservists do not receive refresher training.
The All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency’s refresher training program has trained less than 35 percent of eligible reservists since its establishment in 2020, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a recent report.
The Ministry of National Defense said the agency’s target is to establish five new training brigades and three reservist training centers to increase training capacity to 29,000 troops.
Photo: Sam Yeh, AFP
Asked for comment, Kuma Academy co-founder and chief executive officer Ho Cheng-hui (何澄輝) yesterday said that rapidly updating doctrine and techniques is crucial to maintaining military effectiveness amid constant technological change.
Traditional reservist training programs, which emphasize mobilization speed at the expense of giving troops training time, facilities and resources, have been rendered obsolete by sophisticated weapon systems and tactics, he said.
The culture in the nation’s armed forces sees little need to retrain reservists beyond physical training and basic marksmanship, but modern infantry standards have evolved to operating anti-tank guided missiles and other complex weapons systems, he said.
The nation’s basic and reservist training programs have not yet recognized the importance of effectively managing the flow of tactical information and conducting synchronized maneuvers across organizational lines, Ho said.
The military’s training program has neglected military education beyond urging troops to be mindful of the need for secrecy, which does not meet the demands of the modern informational environment, he said.
Traditional spying awareness education about guarding military secrets is insufficient when military secrets could be easily leaked by unguarded use of devices such as phones and smartwatches, he added.
A new basis for cultivating the nation’s will to resist the enemy and consciousness of the enemy is also needed due to changes in Taiwanese society and politics, he said.
The military’s avoidance of transitional justice reforms have contributed to the continued reliance on ideals and modes of thought that are unsuited for its modern role of being the guardians of democracy, he said.
The military curriculum from 10 years ago is at risk of becoming utterly irrelevant today, he said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS