The “Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee,” one of the three major committees under the Presidential Office and chaired by President Lai Ching-te, held its inaugural meeting on September 26.
The committee focused on five key areas: civil defense, resources, energy, healthcare, and information and communications. Wen-Ling Tu, Director of DSET, was appointed as a member of the Energy and Critical Infrastructure Resilience Task Force.
The ultimate goal of the committee is to enhance Taiwan’s ability to maintain essential services and critical infrastructure operations during emergencies, ensuring public morale and resilience in the face of large-scale disasters and extreme scenarios.
During the meeting, Dr. Tu emphasized the importance of public engagement, noting that empowering citizens to contribute is key to comprehensive defense. The four-hour meeting brought together 23 committee members to discuss how to facilitate public engagement.
Dr. Tu highlighted DSET’s dedicated efforts in engaging the international policy research community, particularly in the context of emerging technologies and volatile geopolitics, to ensure Taiwan’s participation in global decision-making processes as a critical defense measure.
Recent international discussions on Taiwan’s national security have led to deeper consideration of resilience-related policies. For example, extreme climate events have raised concerns about the resilience of Taiwan’s infrastructure and military mobilization. The U.S. State Department’s Report on New Security Challenges recently cited Taiwan as a case study in defending against such events.
Dr. Tu also addressed concerns from international media and think tanks regarding Taiwan’s energy structure and transition strategy in extreme scenarios, such as a potential naval blockade by the PLA. “The layout of our power grid and investment in local infrastructure are critically essential,” Dr. Tu stated.
She further emphasized the growing role of citizens in Taiwan’s energy infrastructure, particularly through rooftop solar power and community microgrids, as part of national security. These decentralized energy sources, she noted, could enhance Taiwan’s infrastructure resilience by reducing reliance on a single, centralized power grid.
Dr. Tu concluded that building a “Whole-of-Society Defense” is crucial for constructing a new security system. She proposed that the government conduct “climate security war games” to develop a well-designed contingency plan, allowing the public to contribute to societal security, much like how citizens played a crucial role during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to energy resilience, DSET is currently conducting research on technological supply chains and economic security, including the defense technology supply chain for drones and low-Earth orbit satellites, as well as AI and misinformation countermeasures. Moving forward, DSET will continue to provide timely policy recommendations in response to discussions from the “Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee.”
