A declining population, competition from the civilian sector and inadequate military salaries are causing recruitment woes, the Ministry of National Defense said in a report submitted to the legislature.
The pool of Taiwanese men who could potentially serve in the military last year decreased to 97,828, down from 102,740 in 2022, and it could drop to 74,036 by 2031, the report said.
The situation would not be helped by the reintroduction of mandatory service, as combat units need seasoned professionals with skills acquired over years of training, the report said.
The military must promptly address the issue by attracting volunteer recruits. Naturally, the first place to start would be with salaries, subsidies and other benefits. The ministry could raise base wages, but it could also offer to repay student loans for recruits who commit to certain lengths of service. For those without higher-education degrees, it could offer training, along with military career paths that would provide experience.
A common complaint from conscripts is that the time they spend in the military puts them at a disadvantage when entering the workforce. Giving recruits training and experience during conscription or volunteer service would alleviate this.
Another benefit the ministry could offer is housing assistance and childcare benefits for married recruits. Such benefits are rarely offered in the private sector, and would make military service an attractive option.
Another common complaint from conscripts is that training is largely a waste of time.
“They describe a process that was designed decades ago with a heavy emphasis on bayonet training, but lacking instruction in urban warfare strategies or modern weapons like drones,” CNN reported on Jan. 20 last year.
Some reforms have been implemented, but the military could attract volunteer recruits by offering more interesting combat training. Recruits could be provided with better training in firearms, urban warfare, first aid and drone piloting. They could even be given the opportunity to undergo cyberwarfare training — and that would open the door to more recruits, as physical fitness would not be a limiting factor.
Ultimately, a shrinking population is the biggest challenge the military faces with recruitment. As the population is shrinking, drones, artificial intelligence and cyberwarfare tactics would be of increasing importance to military strategy, which is all the more reason that training in those areas should be implemented as soon as possible.
The government could also look at foreign recruitment as a path to immigration. Several countries, including the US, do this already, and about 8,000 foreign-born recruits join the US military annually, according to the US Army’s Web site.
Taiwan has about 960,000 foreign residents, of which 700,000 are migrant workers from Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand, a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies shows.
If the government were to offer higher pay and a path to citizenship, some might be interested in serving in the military. Ultimately, the ministry would need to tackle the recruitment issue on multiple fronts: training reforms, improvements to the pay and benefits structure, encouragement of child-rearing and openness to the possibility of foreign recruitment.
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