Taiwan is reportedly seeking to double its military police force to counter a potential decaptiating strike against the island by China in the event of an invasion, senior military officials have told the Taiwanese news outlet Liberty Times.

According to officials, Taiwan plans on expanding the number of military police from 5,000 to over 11,000, as well as increase anti-tank and anti-aircraft capabilities to protect key military and government officials, such as President Tsai Ing-wen. Taiwan has long preprared for such a scenario, which comes as Chinese PLA forces have carried out training exercises against scale models of the Taiwan Presidential Office Building and Ministry of Foreign Affairs in rceent years. 

“In the next few years, there will be plans for gradual expansion and addition. The size of the gendarmerie will double from the current size.”

Officials told the Liberty Times that the increase, while not officially set into motion, will take several years to implement, further stating that “In the next few years, there will be plans for gradual expansion and addition. The size of the gendarmerie will double from the current size.” Taiwan will also seek to further expand recruiting by establishing reserve brigades for each city and county, where the “demand for weapons and equipment allocated to the troops will also increase a lot.”