Military seeking a few good women

Under amendments to the Military Service Law (兵役法) passed by the Legislative Yuan on Tuesday, women will be able to enlist in the nation's armed services.

Currently, the military has fewer than 9,000 female service members, all of them commissioned or non-commissioned officers who graduated from the nation's military academies.

The new law will allow women interested in military service to enlist without having to graduate from a military academy.

"Women in their final year of senior-high school will be able to apply to join the military," according to the amended law.

The Ministry of National Defense has proposed increasing the number of women serving in the military.

However, women who volunteer will work only in non-combat units, the ministry said.

Under the amendments passed on Tuesday, the length of a volunteer's service term was also extended from three years to four.

To encourage more people to volunteer, the amendments provide for yearly pay rises and allows enlisted personnel to become officers if they perform well.

The amendments are part of the military's shift from a conscription-based service to an all-volunteer military.

According to the ministry, by 2008, volunteers will account for 60 percent of the military's total manpower, while the remaining 40 percent will still be conscripts.

The ministry wants volunteers to eventually comprise half of its manpower.

The term of compulsory service had been a year and 10 months, but earlier this year the government announced it would shorten the term to a year and a half as of July 1. The term will be further cut to one year and four months beginning next year, and to one year from 2008.

The government also decided that by 2008, reservists will be released from their military obligations at age of 35, instead of at the age of 40.

To promote an all-volunteer service, ministry officials had said volunteers' monthly salaries will be raised to about NT$35,000. The ministry will also provide volunteers with professional training.

Military officials believe higher salaries will attract more outstanding volunteers and increase the level of professionalism in the military, but this would be difficult if the overall size of the armed forces is not reduced.

There are now 375,000 people in the military, although this number will fall to 275,000 by 2008.