Taiwan is building out a civilian disaster-response corps as part of its "whole-of-society resilience" push, a positive sign for public safety and a quiet signal about war preparedness.

• 163,507 people have now finished disaster-preparedness training, with a goal of 200,000 by the end of the year.
• Training is expanding into neighborhoods, community groups, companies, and critical infrastructure like transport and taxi drivers.
• New Taipei has the most trained volunteers, followed by Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung; roughly three in four are men.
• The volunteers will march in the National Day parade for the first time this year, showcasing civil defense readiness.
• Households are being urged to keep a personal emergency go-bag — water, food, medicine, warm clothes, ID, cash, flashlight, radio — and check it twice a year.

Outlook: Expect a bigger recruitment push through the fall as Taiwan tries to hit its 200,000 target and fold civil defense into its broader deterrence strategy.