Weekend Warriors Are Prepping for a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan
Faced with the persistent threat of attack, civil defense volunteers are training for combat with replica rifles that fire plastic pellets.
Employees inspect rifles at a factory for airsoft gun manufacturer Vega Force Company.
Photographer: An Rong Xu/BloombergOn a scorching Sunday morning in central Taiwan, traffic noise outside a motorcycle repair shop blends with the buzz of industrial fans. It’s just an ordinary garage, but upstairs a dozen people clad in helmets, bulletproof vests and goggles stand quietly in formation, airsoft rifles in hand.
They’re not soldiers, but civil defense volunteers learning how to neutralize an enemy in close-quarter combat. Participants move swiftly from room to room in the makeshift training center, occasionally exchanging fire with plastic pellets as they advance.