CHINA WATCHTaiwan Mobilizes Civil society to Bolster Civil Defense
Most of the island’s people are remarkably ill-prepared for an attack from an increasingly aggressive China. For example, few Taiwanese would know what to do if bombs began shattering nearby streets. Taiwan has taken a big step towards bolstering civil defense, marshalling a range of resources and know-how across society.
Taiwan has taken a big step towards bolstering civil defense, marshalling a range of resources and know-how across society.
A top-level committee, launched in June and detailed in late September, has been working to incorporate civil expertise into defense policy. In an unusual move for Taiwan, the group includes representatives from grassroots organizations that have been working since 2022 to absorb lessons from Ukraine’s experience at war with Russia.
Most of the island’s people are remarkably ill-prepared for an attack from an increasingly aggressive China. For example, few Taiwanese would know what to do if bombs began shattering nearby streets.
In detailing the purpose of the committee, President Lai Ching-te said that citizens need to know how to deter an approaching enemy. By strengthening resilience, Taiwan can prepare for both disasters and national defense.
The 23 members on the committee, the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee, include the defense minister and seven other ministers, with President Lai Ching-te as the chairperson. Also on the committee are representatives from Taiwan’s space agency, the Association of Hackers in Taiwan, Google Taiwan and Buddhist and Christian religious groups. The chairperson of PX Mart, one of Taiwan’s largest supermarket chains, is an adviser.
‘The composition of the committee was a recognition that emerging national security challenges require new approaches to risk management and that must include whole-of-government coordination—both horizontal and vertical—as well as a whole-of-society coalition,’ said committee member Enoch Wu. He heads Forward Alliance, one of the grassroots NGOs that prepares Taiwanese civilians for natural disasters and war.
Taiwan’s ability as a society to coordinate with its armed forces and government in response to a military threat is lightyears behind that of Ukraine and Israel. Globally, Israel is considered the gold standard.
Even though this is an early step for Taiwan, and progress will probably be slow, it is still a significant development. By bringing so much talent together to improve civil defense, the government should become much more able to mobilize society in time of need.
