Taiwan to conduct civil defense drill in Tainan

Taiwan will conduct a civil defense drill on Thursday in Tainan. The event is called "Whole of Society Defence Resilience." It is aimed at preparing the public for possible military conflicts and natural disasters. The drill will run from 10 am to 2 pm. This exercise is notable as Taiwan has not faced active conflict since 1958. Although the island holds annual air raid drills, some experts have criticized these as ineffective. There has not been extensive training for civilians on how to respond to emergencies like war. This week's drill represents a new direction for Taiwan's civil defense strategy. It focuses more on real-life situations and building public resilience. Taiwanese leader William Lai has also been vocal about increasing the island's defenses. He has described mainland China as a "foreign hostile force" and stressed that Taiwan should not be subordinate to it.