I have no way to validate this, but a guy at another company that we do business with has family in Taiwan (or Formosa as he prefers to call it), who says that there’s an active discussion about how to a) get a significant civilian reserve trained and b) equipped.
The powers that be certainly don’t want people taking rifles home with them, but the idea of municipal armories, civilian training courses etc. is apparently being discussed at some level, at least among some segments of society. I’ve been trying to find anything in the media about this, and come up bupkis, but I’ve never known this guy to lie before.
Interesting. Could be such a thing. I will ask friends and contacts as well. Nearly all men have been through army conscription, so have basic training. Although now conscription has been reduced to 4 months. Taiwan doesn't even have enough manpower to fill its 225K army.
My other complaint is that its "elites" either already live in China, doing business, etc... or they and their family have foreign passports and bolt-holes in USA, Japan, etc... Its very common for Taiwan's richest and most powerful. It demonstrates they not very committed to Taiwan's future.