Taiwan's Intangible, Potentially Disastrous Defense Problems.

• Author: Liao, Holmes

Upgrading Taiwan's defense has become a pressing priority for the United States. Washington reportedly plans to quadruple the number of troops deployed to Taiwan from roughly 30 to between 100 and 200 personnel to train its armed forces.

Congress passed the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act in December, which budgets $10 billion in financing and grants over five years for Taiwan's weapon procurement beyond the traditional direct military sales.

Moreover, the Chairman of the House China Select Committee, Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wisc, recently vowed to "arm Taiwan to the teeth" to deter Chinese invasion. Former U.S. National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster has pushed to speed up weapons delivery to Taiwan. There is an apparent urgency in Washington to help Taiwan defend itself.

Despite these commitments, Taiwan remains recalcitrant to conduct a much-needed military reform to transform into a modern fighting force. Three intangible yet ubiquitous problems must be tackled: unprofessionalism, defeatism and Chinese nationalism for outside assistance to be effective.

In the book "The Soldier and the State," Samuel P. Huntington's definition of military professionalism includes three characteristics --expertise, responsibility and corporateness. The responsibility is associated with the "peculiar skill" as the "management of violence but not the act of violence itself."

If we use expertise and skills to measure Taiwan's military professionalism, the score will be low. For example, though the Ministry of National Defense requires system analysis and operational requirements before weapon procurement, the process is a perfunctory checkmark after making the decision. Subsequently, its general staff never quite understands the substance of the practice and masters its techniques.

The ministry desperately needs to update its policies and training curriculum. The last few defense ministers under President Tsai Ing-wen have advocated the return of outdated bayonet charge training--this technique dates to 200 years ago in France and can only have a negligible effect, if at all, in the age of standoff precision munitions. Meanwhile, many of Taiwan's newly acquired weapons are locked up in armories and warehouses, leaving soldiers with few tools for training.

Extending the length of conscription from four months to one year barely seems adequate, but the ministry incomprehensibly plans to require soldiers to practice goose steps. The goose step...