Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense will begin testing the use of private security personnel at nine military academies, Taipei Times reported.
The pilot program will begin on September 1, with a second phase scheduled for January 2027, after which authorities will assess its impact on security, personnel utilization, and operational effectiveness before deciding whether to expand it to other military facilities.
Private security personnel will be responsible for routine access control, including vehicle and visitor checks, identification verification, and management of entry points at military academies.
More sensitive duties will remain under the control of military personnel.
These include protecting weapons and ammunition storage sites, restricted military facilities, emergency response, and combat readiness activities.
The model is based on practices already adopted by several armed forces, including the US military, where civilian contractors perform lower-risk security functions while soldiers focus on operational missions.
Taipei said contracted guards will undergo background checks, qualification reviews, and professional training before deployment.
They will operate under military supervision, will not have access to classified defense information, and will be prohibited from performing military security functions.
Boosting Readiness
The announcement comes ahead of this month’s Han Kuang exercises, which will test Taiwan’s ability to sustain defense production if key facilities are struck during a conflict.
Naval and coast guard units will also carry out joint live-fire drills to practice protecting critical shipping lanes and escorting essential supplies.
The drills follow other recent modernization efforts, including plans to field a new domestically developed reconnaissance vehicle and expand drone cooperation with the UK.
