At least 5,000 more reservists to participate in Han Kuang drills: MND

Taipei, May 6 (CNA) Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Tuesday it will increase the number of reservists called up to its largest annual drills by over 5,000, in line with its policy goal to boost the combat readiness of the country's reserve force.

Last year's Tung Hsin manpower mobilization exercise saw the participation of 14,647 reservists and active-duty service members, an increase of 2,032 from a year earlier, Chou Chin-lung (周錦龍), deputy head of the MND's Inspector General's Office said at a news conference.

The number of reservists mobilized for this year's Tung Hsin exercise will be further increased, Chou said.

The Tung Hsin exercise is held concurrently with the Han Kuang military exercises to test reservists' ability to swiftly assemble into a fighting force or provide assistance to police, first responders, or civil defense teams. This year's Han Kuang exercises will be held from July 9-18, according to the MND.

Hsia Chen-kuo (夏振國), deputy head of the All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency's Mobilization Management Division, said more than 20,000 reservists will be mobilized in the Tung Hsin exercise, meaning there will be at least 5,000 more reservists engaging in the drill this year.

Reservists participating in the drill will be trained to fire pistols and rifles in standing, kneeling, and prone positions to help them become familiar with real-world combat scenarios, Hsia noted.

The higher number of reservists set to be mobilized in the drill is partly due to an increase in the members of regional reserve brigades, Hsia added.

Increasing the number of reservists participating in the drill is also consistent with the MND's policy goal of "transforming" the reserve force into a more combat-ready branch of the military, Chou said.

Among the MND's major policy goals are boosting the joint combat and training capabilities of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, holding more realistic drills to better approximate battlefield situations, and strengthening cooperation between the Armed Forces and civilians, according to Chou.

Other major goals include achieving autonomy in national defense technologies, building a complete "national defense supply chain," expanding international collaborations and exchanges regarding defense affairs, and retaining high-caliber talent in the military, Chou said.