Taiwan plans new defence agency to better prepare military reservists to step up in a war

Reserve force has been criticised for being unable to replace the regular force in the event of a conflict because of inadequate training
Defence ministry says PLA is a growing threat to the island given its capabilities in cyber and electronic warfare and communication jamming

Taiwan

Lawrence Chungin Taipei

Published: 7:30pm, 1 Sep 2021

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Taiwan will launch a new defence agency next year to boost the combat readiness of its much criticised military reserve force amid a growing threat from Beijing, which claims the self-ruled island as its territory.

It will also send officers to the United States for training and exchange visits as part of its efforts to improve the mobilisation and build-up of the Taiwanese reserve force, according to a budget proposal submitted by the island’s defence ministry to the legislature on Tuesday.

Under the proposal, which must be reviewed and approved by the legislature, the defence ministry has budgeted NT$258 million (US$9.3 million) to finance the new agency. It will open on January 1 in line with legislation approved in May for the formation of the agency to overhaul the island’s system for assembling and preparing reservists.

The agency, which will replace the Armed Forces Reserve Command, will design mobilisation-related measures and coordinate with relevant authorities to build up and organise a combat-ready reserve force, according to the proposal.

Through existing military exchange platforms, the agency will engage in exchange programmes with the US. Its responsibility includes sending officers for visits and small group resident training to learn how to strengthen the supervision and call-up of the island’s reserve force, the proposal stated.

Taiwan’s reserve force has long been criticised for its inability to replace the regular force in fighting the enemy in the event of a war because of inadequate training.

A 2017 report by Rand Corporation, a US military think tank, said Taiwan could effectively mobilise its military and society to respond to both man-made and natural disasters, but its approach to reserve force training “seems inadequate for maintaining the readiness of those reserve units that would see combat in the event of an all-out Chinese invasion”.

The report said the People’s Liberation Army was rapidly modernising and developing capabilities that would challenge the mobilisation and employment of Taiwan’s reserves in a cross-strait conflict. It said as the number of Taiwan’s active-duty soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines decreased, and the active force transformed into a volunteer rather than a conscript force, reservists needed to take on increasingly difficult missions.

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Over the years, Taiwan has downsized its regular force from 380,000 troops in 2001 to about 170,000.

In February, the defence ministry introduced new rules governing the call-up of reservists to improve their combat readiness, beginning next year.

According to the plan, the island’s reservists would undergo two weeks of training instead of the current five to seven days, and could be called up every year instead of the current once every two years.

The new policy will begin as a trial in 2022-23 before full-scale implementation in 2024.

The ministry has also extended the period during which reservists could be called up – from four times in eight years after being discharged from military service to four times in 12 years.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has said there was a need to make the military reserve a more reliable backup for its regular forces to safeguard the island in the face of growing intimidation from the mainland.

Tensions have been rising across the Taiwan Strait since Tsai was elected president in 2016 and refused to accept the one-China principle. Beijing has been ramping up pressure on the island, including by suspending official exchanges, staging live-fire drills close by and poaching its diplomatic allies. Taiwan and the US have meanwhile moved closer in recent years, further angering Beijing.

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In a separate report sent to the legislature on Tuesday, the defence ministry said the PLA was a growing threat to Taiwan, given its capabilities in the areas of cyber and electronic warfare and communication jamming.

It also highlighted the possibility of the mainland’s military paralysing Taiwan’s air defence, sea control and counter-warfare system, saying the PLA’s combat effectiveness had already extended beyond the first island chain that stretches from Japan to the Philippines.

With China expected to commission its Type 003 aircraft carrier by 2025, the ministry said the PLA would greatly increase its sea power.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Taiwan acts to bolstermilitary reserve force