As military hostilities loom, are Taiwan’s reservists ready to battle the PLA?

Sitting pensively in a pew at a Taipei church, army reservist Henry Cheng is nonchalant about the mainland Chinese warships and jets circling his island – but he also feels ill-prepared for war. The People’s Liberation Army’s massive military drills this month have pushed tensions in the Taiwan Strait to their highest point in years, deepening fears Beijing could forcibly take control of the self-ruled island it claims as its own. On the heels of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the crisis has revived debate within Taiwan and among key Western allies about the readiness of the island’s vastly outnumbered military. But Cheng said he was unconcerned. “It was like ‘Oh, they’re at it again’,” said the 25-year-old insurance sales agent. “They’ve been talking about a war since I was little but there still hasn’t been one.” Cheng completed his mandatory four-month military service last year, placing him in the ranks of some 2.5 million reservists who could be called up to battle if an invasion took place. Yet conflict feels like a distant reality for Cheng compared to his usual routine of meeting clients and rehearsing Christian worship songs as a drummer for his church band. “I’m definitely not ready [for war], because four months to me is more like going there to play,” he said, referencing his training. “I’d probably die very quickly. I’ll face it when it comes.” Taiwan military confirms mainland drone took photo, video of soldiers Mandatory service used to be deeply unpopular in Taiwan, which was once a brutal military dictatorship but has since transformed into a progressive democracy. Taiwan’s previous government reduced compulsory service from one year to four months with the aim of creating a mainly volunteer force. But Beijing’s ambitions have grown more assertive under President Xi Jinping. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has also shown the deadly risks of a giant neighbour’s verbal threats becoming real. As a result, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s administration is exploring whether to reinstate tougher military service. It is not clear yet when a decision might be made, but polling shows more than three-quarters of the Taiwanese public now believe the length of service is too short. Taiwan remains massively outgunned by the mainland, with 88,000 ground forces compared to the PLA’s one million, according to Pentagon estimates. But the mountainous island would still present a formidable challenge. Taipei has stepped up reservist training and increased purchases of jets and anti-ship missiles. But experts say it is not enough. “I truly believe four months is too short,” said Joseph Hwang, associate professor at Taiwan’s National Defence University. “Taiwan has no condition for voluntary military service whatsoever.” Peter Yang, an engineer who plays war games in his spare time, remembers much of his compulsory military service was mostly “spent doing paperwork”. “There was not a lot of time spent on training, just basic physical training and shooting practice,” the 24-year-old said. “Our job is really just to die on the battlefield … so it’s enough for us to know how to fire a gun,” he said, adding reservists were given only 12 bullets for each shooting practice. Last month, former US army chief Mark Esper called for Taiwan to triple its mandatory service to a year and extend its enrolment to women. American and Taiwanese strategists have pushed Taipei to adopt a “porcupine” strategy of asymmetric warfare like Ukraine to defend against a mainland invasion. But Taiwan’s population was not ready for the diehard resistance seen in the streets of Ukraine’s cities, said retired air force colonel Richard Chou, who served for 21 years. “Taiwan’s military preparation from my perspective is not enough,” the 52-year-old said, adding he would serve willingly if called back. “It’s not only about one person holding a rifle. They also have to learn how to handle situations together as a group through training – only then will they have a hope of resisting in the future.” Beijing has ‘shut down’ key communication with outside world, says US To demonstrate how unmoved the Taiwanese are by the threat, 75-year-old veteran Jasper Lee points around a central Taipei park. “They just had the military exercise around Taiwan island and the people are like this – dancing, drinking, exercising,” he said. Still, fears of the mainland linger for many. John Chen, a 26-year-old reservist, said the drills had increased his anxiety, comparing Beijing to a stalker. “This person really likes you, but he keeps saying you belong to him … he knows where you go to work every day and follows you home from work. This is the situation that Taiwan is in,” he said. “I’m worried about whether my country will continue to exist.”

As military hostilities loom, are Taiwan’s reservists ready to battle the PLA?

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Crisis has revived debate about the readiness of the island’s vastly outnumbered military Polling shows more than three-quarters of Taiwanese believe length of military service is too short

Crisis has revived debate about the readiness of the island’s vastly outnumbered military

Polling shows more than three-quarters of Taiwanese believe length of military service is too short