TAIP: Taiwan Army announced plans on Tuesday to include women in its reserve training for the first time this year, as the island tries to build up its forces against threats from china.
Democratic and self-governing Taiwan lives in constant fear of a Chinese invasionfor Beijing claims the island as part of its territory to be taken one day, by force if necessary.
China’s slashing has intensified in recent years under President Xi Jinping, and The Russian invasion of Ukraine further heightened concerns in Taiwan that Beijing might act in the same way.
Taipei’s defense ministry said it would allow around 200 demobilized female soldiers to enroll in volunteer reservist training starting in the second quarter of this year, as part of efforts to bolster the overall support force. .
“This is the first year that women have participated in reservist training, so this year will be a trial program,” said Major General Yu Wen-cheng of the ministry’s Total Defense Mobilization Agency. .
“We will plan training capacity based on the number of applicants.”
The voluntary programs aim to “enhance the effectiveness of retraining reserve troops in combat skills to help improve the combat capabilities of reservists”, he told reporters.
Currently, only Taiwanese men are required to perform compulsory military service and reservist training, although women can volunteer to serve in the armed forces.
Many military analysts have urged Taiwan to do more to bolster its reserves and prepare its civilian population for defense, including allowing more women to train.
Last month, Taiwan announced it was increasing compulsory military service for men to one year – from four months – citing the threat of an increasingly hostile China.
Some lawmakers have proposed including women in some form of compulsory service.
President Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan’s first female president, said extending military service was necessary to “ensure the democratic way of life for our future generations”.
“No one wants war… but my countrymen, peace will not fall from the sky.”
Taiwan is a mountainous island and would present a formidable challenge to an invasion force, but it is massively outgunned, with 89,000 ground forces to China’s one million, according to Pentagon estimates.
Taiwan and China separated at the end of Chinese Civil War in 1949, and Tsai said that becoming part of China was not acceptable to the islanders.
Xi, China’s most assertive leader in decades, has said what he calls the “reunification” of Taiwan should not be passed on to future generations.
Democratic and self-governing Taiwan lives in constant fear of a Chinese invasionfor Beijing claims the island as part of its territory to be taken one day, by force if necessary.
China’s slashing has intensified in recent years under President Xi Jinping, and The Russian invasion of Ukraine further heightened concerns in Taiwan that Beijing might act in the same way.
Taipei’s defense ministry said it would allow around 200 demobilized female soldiers to enroll in volunteer reservist training starting in the second quarter of this year, as part of efforts to bolster the overall support force. .
“This is the first year that women have participated in reservist training, so this year will be a trial program,” said Major General Yu Wen-cheng of the ministry’s Total Defense Mobilization Agency. .
“We will plan training capacity based on the number of applicants.”
The voluntary programs aim to “enhance the effectiveness of retraining reserve troops in combat skills to help improve the combat capabilities of reservists”, he told reporters.
Currently, only Taiwanese men are required to perform compulsory military service and reservist training, although women can volunteer to serve in the armed forces.
Many military analysts have urged Taiwan to do more to bolster its reserves and prepare its civilian population for defense, including allowing more women to train.
Last month, Taiwan announced it was increasing compulsory military service for men to one year – from four months – citing the threat of an increasingly hostile China.
Some lawmakers have proposed including women in some form of compulsory service.
President Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan’s first female president, said extending military service was necessary to “ensure the democratic way of life for our future generations”.
“No one wants war… but my countrymen, peace will not fall from the sky.”
Taiwan is a mountainous island and would present a formidable challenge to an invasion force, but it is massively outgunned, with 89,000 ground forces to China’s one million, according to Pentagon estimates.
Taiwan and China separated at the end of Chinese Civil War in 1949, and Tsai said that becoming part of China was not acceptable to the islanders.
Xi, China’s most assertive leader in decades, has said what he calls the “reunification” of Taiwan should not be passed on to future generations.
