President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) received a visiting delegation from the American think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) on Thursday.
President Tsai says that Taiwan is at the forefront of the democratic defense, constantly improving its self-defense capabilities, and continuing to deepen cooperation through various mechanisms with like-minded partners.
Former U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser and FDD China Project chairman Matt Pottinger said in his speech that Ukraine’s inspiration is that deterrence is far more useful than war. He said the formula for maintaining effective deterrence is capability and determination with weapons, practical training, and smart tactics bolstering the courage, confidence, and will to fight.
According to Pottinger, the catalyst for creating unity and building long-term deterrence is culture. He said that even though Israel's population is less than half of Taiwan, and there are no natural barriers such as oceans and mountains, it has prevented the enemy from invading. Pottinger pointed out that this can serve as a model for Taiwan. He said that the FDD commends President Tsai for taking the initiative to reinstate compulsory service and revive the culture of National Service.
The Foundation for Defense of Democracies is a think tank and policy research institute headquartered in Washington, D.C. The delegation will be departing Taiwan on Friday.