Taiwan’s civil defence drills go big, but is there still a sense of urgency?

Taiwan has put its civil defences to a tougher disaster test, with an exercise last week to assess the public’s responses to emergencies such as a massive explosion and an incoming tsunami.

The exercise – dubbed “Whole-of-Society Defence Resilience Drill” – held last Thursday in the southern city of Tainan, was the first live, civilian-based exercise of its kind to test public responses to calamities amid growing security concerns and escalating threats from Beijing.

The drill tested coordination between central and local governments, emergency responders, civilian agencies, and ordinary citizens without prearranged scripts.

Unlike previous civil defence exercises, often criticised as ceremonial and lacking substance, this drill integrated a broader range of crisis scenarios, including emergency contingencies, civilian responses to large-scale disasters, and potential attacks on critical infrastructure.

Involving 1,500 participants, including 500 civilians, the exercise featured local and central government officials, volunteer firefighters, police officers, representatives from foreign missions stationed in Taipei, and local civil defence groups.