Taiwan sets war readiness goals at first meeting of defence resilience committee

Whole-of-Society Defence Resilience Committee aims to mobilise around 400,000 people, security official says

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Taiwanese leader William Lai (in dark suit), pictured with troops at a naval base in Penghu County, has outlined the tasks of a new defence committee for “a more resilient Taiwan”. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 9:00am, 29 Sep 2024

Taiwan is making a further push towards war readiness with renewed focus on its civil defence capacities, a move analysts fear may further provoke the mainland.

The island has set clear goals to strengthen its civil defence capabilities as part of the mandate of a special committee created in June by Taiwan’s leader, William Lai Ching-te, to prepare for a potential cross-strait conflict.

Analysts, however, caution that while there is broad support for war preparedness, the need for cross-strait dialogue remains the critical issue.

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During the inaugural meeting of the Whole-of-Society Defence Resilience Committee on Thursday, Lai outlined its key tasks, which include merging defence and civilian forces to address various challenges arising from war and natural disasters.

The committee, in addition to focusing on enhancing training and mobilisation of civilian forces, will work to improve coordination between local governments and the public to streamline the stockpiling and distribution of strategic supplies.

Lai also stressed the importance of ensuring the protection of critical infrastructure such as energy, healthcare, shelter facilities, transport and financial systems during emergencies.

“We must ensure that in the event of a national disaster or emergency, we can maintain government operations, sustain essential social services and support military actions,” Lai said, emphasising that these goals must be implemented at the grass-roots level.