Taipei, July 20 -- A retired US Navy rear admiral, Mark Montgomery, praised Taiwan's mobilisation of over 20,000 reservists in this year's Han Kuang military exercises as a significant step toward strengthening the island's defence capabilities, Focus Taiwan reported.

Mark Montgomery, senior director at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies and a 2017 US Navy retiree, said that the participation of more than 20,000 reservists was a "great first step" in addressing a key defence challenge for Taiwan.

"Taiwan has to redesign their active duty-reserve balance to get it right," he said, stressing that optimising reservist deployment will enhance the island's overall defence.

According to Taiwan's Defence Minister Wellington Koo, the 10...