A territorial defense force made up of civilians in Taiwan could effectively start with just a few hundred people. That was the word from Michael Hunzeker, a military expert at George Mason University who recently wrote an article in War on the Rocks calling for Taiwan to set up such a force. He spoke with RTI in an interview on Wednesday.
Hunzeker said that the Ukraine War has shown how civilians can play an important role in resisting invasion. He said the popular conception is that guerrilla warfare takes thousands of people, but he said effective resistance could start with just a few hundred well-trained fighters. Hunzeker said the bar to start a territorial defense force is not as high as most people think.
Hunzeker said the government should start recruiting civilians for territorial defense training. He said a civilian force could gain momentum quickly once people see they can play a meaningful role in Taiwan’s defense.
Hunzeker said the ultimate goal is to use civil defense as a means to avoid the worst-case scenario during a cross-strait war.
Stay tuned for more from the interview with Michael Hunzenker in Taiwan Insider this Thursday.