Taiwan's defense minister used a military graduation ceremony to stress that people, not technology, remain the core of the island's war preparations — a signal of how seriously Taipei is taking mixed threats from China.

• Defense Minister Wellington Koo told graduating officers at the National Defense University that better gear and AI cannot replace human leadership and judgment.
• He pointed to grey-zone harassment, cognitive warfare, and AI-driven threats as the combined challenge Taiwan's military now faces.
• Taiwan's forces are working under a "people first, AI as support, combat-oriented" approach, with new training, thinking, equipment, and technology.
• Recent drills, including the Han Kuang exercise, focused on switching quickly from peacetime to wartime footing and pushing command decisions down the ranks.
• Koo urged officers to build a culture of trust, delegation, and transparency, and to listen to rank-and-file troops.

Outlook: Taiwan looks set to keep expanding realistic combat drills and decentralized command as pressure from China continues.