The number of volunteer enlisted soldiers determined unfit for active duty reached 4,066 last year, a record high, a Ministry of National Defense report showed.
Starting next year, Taiwan is to restore compulsory military service to one year for men who were born in 2005 or later, and who are aged 18 or older.
However, as many young men go to college or university after graduating from high school, the ministry expects there to only be about 9,100 draftees serving the one-year compulsory military service next year, reaching about 35,000 draftees in 2027.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
However, the main force to defend the nation’s land, waters and airspace would be volunteer enlisted soldiers, it said.
According to the Act of Military Service for Volunteer Enlisted Soldiers (志願士兵服役條例), military service for volunteer enlisted soldiers cannot be less than four years, but the act was amended in 2009 to allow unsuitable volunteer enlisted soldiers the option of early release after three months of service, with a requirement to pay compensation.
About 20 percent of volunteer soldiers enlisted in the past five years paid the compensation to be released early, the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee said after last year’s review of the defense ministry’s budget.
The military’s limited training resources are being wasted, it said, adding that compensation-related issues is also a burden on the Ministry of Defense.
The committee made a resolution requiring the ministry to file a report on the analysis of the reasons volunteer enlisted soldiers were determined unfit for active duty, and its improvement methods.
There were 4,066 soldiers unfit for active duty last year, including 3,756 — 92.4 percent — who applied for early release, and 310 — 7.6 percent — who were expelled for receiving three major demerits or two major demerits and an annual performance grade of “C” or below within a year, a ministry report said.
When soldiers were asked why they applied for early release, 43.2 percent said they “have different career plans,” 35.2 percent said they “suffered from maladaptation,” 16 percent said it was due to “family reasons” and 3.6 percent said they had “physical problems or illnesses,” the report said.
The 1,322 soldiers who “suffered from maladaptation” included 766 who “could not adapt to military life,” 156 who “could not agree with troop management” and 137 who “could not agree with military culture,” it said.
Of the 310 soldiers expelled from military service, 22.6 percent had experienced traffic accidents outside the military camp, 21 percent had engaged in drunk driving, 16.5 percent had engaged in gambling and 11 percent had engaged in misconduct outside the military camp, the report said.
The report said the ministry would continue to enhance its new recruit orientation program, analyze the pros and cons of careers within the military and in the private sector, avoid imposing excessive limitations or giving sudden duties that could affect soldiers’ holiday plans, and present a military career vision for volunteer enlisted soldiers, while training them with professional skills.
With the low birthrate and increased salaries for conscripted soldiers, the army must adjust its overall labor planning, replace old equipment and develop military automation systems, Institute for National Defense and Security Research analyst Shu Hsiao-huang (舒孝煌) said.
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