Taiwan is moving to strengthen its reserve system in response to mounting military pressure from China, including continued gray-zone operations and targeted drills. As part of the reforms, the Ministry of National Defense plans to fully implement longer reserve military training call-ups—14 days—after evaluations found the extended program helps restore combat readiness more quickly.

The ministry also said it is revising legislation and reserve regulations to better incorporate female reservists into the country’s reserve management and call-up system. Women have been allowed to participate voluntarily in reserve training since 2023, training alongside male reservists and following the same programs, but legal inconsistencies have previously limited the ability to formally include women who leave voluntary service in the reserve call-up framework. Proposed amendments would address those gaps so female reservists can be incorporated into the reserve management system going forward.

In addition to the gender-focused changes, the reserve training program will emphasize more realistic combat preparation aligned with modern battlefield conditions. The curriculum is described as including refresher training for reservists’ specialties plus updates on currently issued weapons and skills, including rapid-response rifle shooting, machine guns, and mortars. It also adds elements such as maneuver and deployment drills, combat resupply operations, basic drone training, and battlefield casualty care.