Taiwanese President Calls for ‘All-Out Defense’ Strategy, Referencing Ukraine War

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen speaks while inspecting reservists training at a military base in Taoyuan on March 12, 2022. Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen called for civil efforts to defend the country against the increased authoritarian threat, referencing the Ukraine war, as she visited training army reservists.

“The recent situation in Ukraine once again proved that to protect the country, in addition to the assistance from the international society, depends on the unity of the whole people,” Tsai said on March 12 as she observed reservists undergoing training led by army veterans at the Nanshipu firing range outside the capital Taipei.

Tsai, dressed in full military fatigues including body armor, said reservists were specifically getting trained in areas close to their homes.

The Saturday drill came under a new domestic program to beef up the country’s war readiness.

“This educational [reservist] mobilization is an implementation of the spirit of all-out defense with the principle of local mobilization and local engagement of the enemy,” she added.

Taiwan’s establishment of the “all-out-defense” strategy is aimed at mobilizing all available military power to deal with a potential China invasion, given the growing risk of a cross-strait military conflict. Beijing has long claimed the island as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary, despite the island having its own military, constitution, and democratically elected government.

The government announced late last year reform training for its reserve forces—the island’s important backup for regular soldiers. Changes include an extended 14-day call-up system in the place of previous five-to-seven-day stints and more combat and shooting exercises.

Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng hopes the new training regimen launched a week ago can boost the combat readiness of Taiwan’s reservists, state-run media Central News Agency reported. “For our reservists, if they train for between seven and 14 days a year, that gives us a lot more confidence,” Chiu told reports.

There are many lessons Taiwan can learn from Ukraine, according to the minister, where he said people were being given guns and sent to fight after only a few days of training.

Russia’s full-scale attack on Ukraine, which began Feb. 24, was countered by the latter’s use of mobile weapons, including Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stinger portable air-defense systems. The asymmetric defense strategy, helping troops become harder to attack and better able to survive and strike back in a war, echoed what Tsai emphasized since taking office in 2016.

“This is a dangerous moment for Europe and for freedom-loving people around the world,” said Sandra Oudkirk, the director of the American Institute in Taiwan, in a March 12 press release. “The people of Ukraine are resilient. They’ve had a democracy for decades, and their bravery is inspiring the world,” she said.

Beijing has since largely sided with Mosco, in the meanwhile, refusing to condemn its actions in East Europe as a war or invasion.

Reuters contributed to this report.