Taiwan’s defense minister says the military can start training new recruits to use handheld anti-aircraft weapons in an updated training regimen.
Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng faced calls from lawmakers on Wednesday to train reservists to use weapons like the US-made Javelin and Stinger missiles. That comes after reports that Ukraine is successfully using those weapons to defend itself against attack by Russian forces.
Chiu says there is no need to wait until reservist training to teach soldiers how to use the portable weapons. Instead, he says the military can begin incorporating them into basic training the next time it updates the training regimen.
Chiu says it’s important for Taiwan’s military to have a basic understanding of how to use all of Taiwan’s weapons. Some soldiers, Chiu says, will inevitably be trained to a higher level than others.