Give Taiwan’s youth a fighting chance against China

One might get the impression that Taiwan’s defense is just a question of having the right weapons and hardware. But there’s of course more to it than that, including a huge psychological component, as a friend noted the other day when he asked:

What is the sentiment of Taiwanese youth in defending their nation from PRC aggression? Is there a consistent stance?

These are difficult questions for an outsider to answer about any nation. And even locals never really never know until the time comes. But I’ll give it a try and start with a story.

One day while living in Taiwan a few years back, I  was studying a map board outside a subway station. A young women, maybe in her early 20s, came up and asked if she could help. The place I was going wasn’t far away, so she offered to walk me there.  

On the way she asked where I was from:  I said, “America.” She said: “Please don’t let us be part of China.”

That said a lot. At least from my perspective, a majority of young Taiwanese do not want to be part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) or come under Chinese communist domination.

They know enough about life on the mainland and more recently have watched the Chinese Communist Party smother Hong Kong and persecute people who exercise freedoms taken for granted in Taiwan.

They also increasingly see themselves as Taiwanese. Relatively few young people have substantial first-hand experience with the mainland and people they know who do are likely their grandparents or even great-grandparents. It is perhaps akin to how Irish-Americans came to see themselves as American rather than Irish (except for one day a year).

But what about actually defending Taiwan?  

I think a lot of young Taiwanese would indeed do something to defend their nation. Or, at least, they would want to. A big problem is that they don’t know what they can do.  

Yes, Taiwan has conscription, requiring an 18-year-old male to serve a year of military service and then perform reserve duty for a period of years. But beyond that mandatory participation, few continue being involved in defending the nation. There are a few reasons.

The Taiwan Armed Forces are largely composed of volunteers – and, by definition, are young or relatively young people. They are highly professional – despite all the obstacles – and they will fight if well-led. But attracting enough volunteers is a chronic problem for the Taiwan military.

Maybe more would join if a war starts – though at that point it’s too late.  

So why the reluctance to sign up? Military service is not widely considered an attractive career in Taiwan. It’s a hard life with low pay, bad housing and no GI-Bill sort of benefits. And some Taiwanese have mentioned to me that military service simply isn’t respected in traditional Chinese society – going back many centuries.

Successive Taiwan administrations have not done nearly enough to change those mindsets and to give the military and the people in it the respect they deserve – which in turn might solve recruitment problems.  

At the same time, there are limited opportunities for young people who want to do something to defend their nation but don’t want to sign up for full-time military service.

Taiwan’s “reserve force” is shambolic and that’s being charitable. There is no “territorial” or militia force, either. Taiwan also lacks a civil defense scheme.  

Recently, as a way to jump-start interest in national defense, private organizations in Taiwan have been offering first aid training and education on national defense – and even the chance to shoot air rifles.  

But this is not a substitute for a government-run effort – well-organized and funded – that will also put the citizenry to work.

And this gets to the main problem: Taiwan’s administrations haven’t done their job of getting the military ready and also getting citizens mobilized and psychologically ready for the oncoming threat from the PRC – a threat that has been obvious for years.

Visitors to Taiwan are often surprised at the seeming absence of a sense of urgency among the population writ large.

Some foreign commentators also often dismiss the prospects of Taiwan putting up a solid defense by claiming: “Taiwanese all have US passports and will flee as soon as things get dangerous.” Some do and some will. But 99% do not have second passports. 

So, in answer to my friend’s question, the will is there to defend the nation but it needs some structure to channel that will and put it to work.

Taiwanese also need a clear sense they’ve got some powerful friends who will back them up. Recent efforts by the US to allow useful military-to-military engagements between American and Taiwan forces are a positive, if overdue, sign.

Continue this and have the Taiwan government do its bit, as well, and you’ll find Taiwanese – and younger citizens in particular who bear the brunt of any war – willing to do plenty to defend themselves. Just give them a way to do so.

Grant Newsham is a retired US Marine officer and former US diplomat. He is the author of the book When China Attacks: A Warning To America.