Wartime emergency response training will become a larger part of Taiwan’s civil and military mobilization exercises. That’s the word from Maj. Gen. Yu Wen-chen (俞文鎮) from the Defense Ministry’s mobilization agency on Thursday.
The mobilization agency coordinates efforts from both military and civilian administrations to improve wartime combat capabilities. It also coordinates responses to peacetime emergencies.
Yu says that wartime emergency response training will constitute over 70% of the overall program, compared to last year’s 50%. He adds that Taiwan’s armed forces will continue to participate only as observers.
Taiwan has been strengthening its defensive capabilities due to increasing military pressure from China. In late December, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) announced an extension of mandatory military service from the current four months to one year starting in 2024.
In recent days, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) urged the mobilization agency as well as other agencies and local governments to strengthen civilian training. He also called on them to improve wartime mobilization mechanisms, and confirm the readiness of equipment.