Recruits undertaking their military service in Taiwan are learning to fire rocket launchers as part of basic training for the first time.
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00:00After weeks of training, these conscripts are testing their proficiency on Taiwan's
00:05domestically-made Kestrel rocket launcher.
00:11Many said they were nervous about this first-of-its-kind test.
00:14The test is completely different from the test we did in the military.
00:19I was a little nervous and scared, but I remembered the instructions from the instructor.
00:24I let go of my fear and completed the test successfully.
00:28Although this is my first test, I kept the instructions from the instructor and cadres
00:35and reminded me to let go of my nervousness.
00:41Taiwan extended the length of mandatory military service from four months to one year in 2022
00:46as part of a larger reform of its armed forces.
00:50Part of this included more realistic combat training, and now, using this rocket launcher
00:54as a standard part of the country's military training.
00:58This test focuses on two main parts, accuracy and handling.
01:03Officers here say that they're hoping to get this weapon in the hands of as many people
01:06doing mandatory military service as possible.
01:09That's because it only takes about five days to really learn how to use the weapon.
01:14Taiwan's geography poses a big challenge for military planners in China, which would
01:19have to deploy troops by air or sea in an invasion.
01:22Planners say that in the hands of a well-trained soldier, missile launchers like the Kestrel
01:26would prove effective in stopping vehicles from making it inland.
01:30It can increase its firepower, so that in the event that a large armored vehicle approaches,
01:40it can respond immediately.
01:43But above all, many U.S. military planners say that Taiwan's shift to more modern weapons
01:48and tactics is just the first step in building a more effective defense.
01:53For many, many years, conscripts didn't even fire these weapons.
01:56What I would really like to see again is the next step moving beyond this to actually seeing
02:01small units out there maneuvering with these weapon systems and then employing them.
02:06The military says it's on track to train more than 9,000 conscripts by the end of this year,
02:11and is working to give this generation of soldiers the skills they need to defend the
02:15country.
02:16Fu Huahong and Jaime O'Connor in Tainan for Taiwan Plus.