Taiwan is loosening the rules on who can volunteer for military refresher training, a sign the island is widening its pool of trained citizens as it prepares for a possible conflict with China.

• The defense ministry dropped the rule that only reservists discharged within the past 12 years could sign up for voluntary rifle training.
• The first class under the new rules ran in Taichung, where 35 reservists fired 48 live rounds with the T91 rifle over half a day.
• Some had been out of uniform for 20 years and last trained on rifles two generations older; many brought their own boots, gloves, and gear.
• Demand came from across the island, not just locals, suggesting appetite for training is bigger than the current program.
• The thinking draws on Ukraine, which needed something close to a whole-population fighting force in the early weeks of the Russian invasion.

Outlook: Expect Taiwan to keep widening access to reservist training as it builds civilian military readiness.