The Ministry of National Defense yesterday announced the introduction of a short-term voluntary reservist program to re-enlist soldiers in a bid to maintain the armed forces’ combat readiness. It also lowered the criteria for physical fitness.
Starting next year, the ministry is to recruit people who have been discharged from military service for less than eight years on a one-year contract basis, the ministry said at a news conference.
Reservists are to be required to report for training two days each month, in addition to participating in a seven-day exercise each year, and could receive up to 53 days’ training per year, All-out Defense Mobilization Office Acting Director Major General Tsai Chung-cheng (蔡忠誠) said.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
The ministry plans to recruit 123 reservists next year to serve in units in all branches of the armed forces, including an army mechanized infantry brigade, a navy underwater operations unit, the air force’s Air Defense Artillery Command, the Reserve Command and the Military Police Command.
The program aims to sharpen reservists’ skills and improve the military’s combat readiness, the ministry said.
“In the event of war, troops might have to deploy within 24 hours. Reservists might not be combat-ready if they are not trained regularly,” Tsai said. “It would also be a waste if skilled soldiers only engage in civilian careers.”
Recruits are to be paid on a daily basis according to their rank, receiving the same pay as their active-duty counterparts, Tsai said, adding that a reserve lieutenant colonel would be entitled to NT$2,256 per day, while a private would earn NT$1,174 per day.
The ministry originally planned to increase the pay for reservists by 145 percent, but later dropped the incentive plan, as “patriotism is a strong motivation for many soldiers,” he said.
Personnel originally trained for roles that require a high degree of skill, such as combat aircraft pilots, would not be immediately called up for such service, Tsai said, adding that it might be possible following training and evaluation.
The ministry is to assess the feasibility of offering tax breaks to companies whose employees re-enlist, in a bid to expand the scope of the reservist program, he said.
Recruits must not visit China, Tsai said, adding that they could be disqualified for re-enrollment if they are found to be physically unfit or undisciplined.
The ministry has adjusted the criteria for physical fitness, lowering the requirements of three fitness tests, Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Training Director Major General Chen Wen-hsing (陳文星) said, adding that the new criteria are to be adopted next year.
Male officers aged 35 to 39 would be required to finish a 3km run within 16 minutes, 30 seconds, compared with the current requirement for male officers aged 35 to 38 to complete the run in 15 minutes, 35 seconds.
Personnel who fail the 3km run would be allowed to take alternate tests: a 5km walk, an 800m swim or five minutes of jumping rope.
Male officers aged 40 to 44 would be required to complete 26 push-ups and 28 sit-ups, compared with the existing requirement for men aged 30 to 42 to complete 40 push-ups and 36 sit-ups.
“Both the existing and adjusted criteria are on par with the physical fitness criteria of China’s military,” Chen said.
The adjustments were made after an analysis of 1.5 million data points to ensure that at least 80 percent of service members could pass the tests with a lowered risk of injury, Chen said, adding that 88.5 percent of enlisted soldiers and officers passed the tests this year, a substantial increase from 28.1 percent in 2009.
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