Taiwan is preparing its citizens for war – WP

Taiwan, threatened by Chinese military aggression, is working to improve its defense capabilities. In particular, the country is modernizing existing reservist training and trying to create a large, professional army. The Washington Post writes about it on Sunday, August 4.

However, as the publication points out, Defense Minister Wellington Koo acknowledged that a lack of equipment and instructors has slowed efforts to professionalize the training of reservists.

“I must honestly say that we need to quickly strengthen our preparations,” he said.

Taiwan reportedly wants to create a military reserve to support its 155,000 active-duty troops.

“All Taiwanese men born in 2005 or later are now required to enlist for one year of service, while some 2 million ex-soldiers will have to undergo retraining every two years,” WP said.

But officials admitted that things were bad and only 6% of eligible conscripts (6,936 people) said they wanted to take part in military training.

“Recruits are expected to learn how to use drones, Kestrel anti-tank missiles and Stinger surface-to-air missiles. But most deferred military service to enter university first, meaning many 2005-born men will not be trained until 2027 “, the journalists pointed out.

Taiwan’s slow progress in boosting troop training has worried military experts in both Washington and Taipei, who are calling on authorities to act more quickly to rein in Xi Jinping and avoid war.

The WP says the world’s largest army, China, has 2 million active-duty troops and also recruits about 400,000 conscripts annually. In addition, the country’s defense budget of $230 billion is 13 times larger than Taiwan’s 2023 budget.