Taiwan announces a schedule for female reservists' military training

Taiwan's military is to begin preparing a group of female military veterans to undergo five-to-seven days of reservist training next month. The Ministry of National Defense (MND) had previously stated that it did not have the necessary infrastructure and facilities to accommodate the training of both male and female reservists, but this had been a point of contention within the ranks of some reservists who saw it as a form of gender discrimination. In 2021, Taiwan had 8,915 female reservists within its ranks, and around 15% of Taipei's 180,000 active armed forces are women. The MND did not specify if or when around 8,700 other reservists might be required to undergo training. This comes amid increased tensions with Beijing in and around the Taiwan Strait.