Conscription is to be restored to one year for all men born after Jan. 1, 2005, starting in 2024, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday as part of an updated national defense plan.
“The decision is a difficult one, but as the head of the military and for the continued survival of Taiwan, this is an inevitable responsibility,” Tsai said.
As well as returning the mandatory service period to one year, the government is enacting other changes affecting the nation’s military composition, affirming that the volunteer force is to be the nation’s main military arm and establishing a standing defense force mainly comprised of those serving their mandatory service.
Photo: CNA
The government is also looking to bolster its reservist system and would consider implementing a militia system, Tsai said.
The starting salary for conscripts would be increased to NT$26,307 from NT$6,510 to ensure they earn enough to cover their basic daily expenses, she said.
However, the disposable income portion of the salary would be NT$20,320 per month, with the army to provide NT$5,987 to cover meals and insurance, she said.
Photo: Chiang Ying-ying, AP
The announcement was made after Tsai held a round of meetings at the Presidential Office in Taipei with high-level officials to discuss Taiwan’s economic and national security, following months of discussions in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine is still fighting after more than 300 days, and its resolve to defend itself is an example for everyone who loves and cherishes freedom, Tsai said.
With the Chinese threat looming, Taiwan must prepare for war, and ensure that it can fight to prevent war or end it if one begins, she said.
Many people have stereotypical views of mandatory service based on their own experience, but the training regimen has undergone drastic changes, Tsai added.
To ensure conscripts undergo appropriate training and do not waste time during the longer service period, they would undergo more intense and longer boot camp training to boost their combat preparedness, the president said.
Boot camp training is to be extended to eight weeks from five, and is to include physical fitness and exercise, as well as weapons and combat training.
Standard courses would focus on discipline, equipment maintenance, basic training and stress training, while physical training would include basic fitness, grenade throwing and a 500m obstacle course.
Physical training is to incorporate science-based learning for health management and muscle-building.
The arms training section would increase the number of shots fired from 104 to 160 to ensure that recruits know the differences between weapons and how firing position affects accuracy.
Combat training is to focus on combat techniques, field medicine and what to do in the event of a biological or nuclear disaster, while the training regimen for recruits is to include marches, camp setting and other skills.
The Ministry of Education is in talks with local universities and colleges to develop ways to make the higher-education curriculum more flexible so that conscripts can complete their required one year of service while studying, Tsai said.
That would allow them to avoid postponing plans to enter the job market due to the longer military service requirement, she said.
Since 1949, when the Republic of China government retreated to Taiwan, Taiwanese men have been required to serve two or three years in the military.
After 2000, conscription was gradually reduced to one year by 2008.
Under former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), who was in office from 2008 to 2016, the government turned the nation’s military into a mainly volunteer force, with conscripts, serving in support roles, only required to undergo four months of military training since 2013.
During the four months, conscripts undergo five weeks of boot camp followed by 11 weeks of specialized training with field units.
Additional reporting by Chen Yun
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS