The first batch of servicemen to receive four-month-long training under the new all-volunteer military system are scheduled to report for duty on Feb. 20, a Ministry of National Defense official said recently.
The voluntary system implemented on Jan. 1 stipulates that male citizens born after 1994 only need to complete four months of military training, compared with the one year of compulsory military service that was previously required.
Approximately 2,000 servicemen will report to the 104th Brigade and the 302nd Brigade in Greater Taichung’s Chenggong Ling training camp, with another 500 men reporting to the 257th Brigade in Chiayi City’s Chungkeng training camp.
Draftees will be paid a monthly salary of NT$6,070, the same amount that a private was paid under the mandatory system, and have two days off per week.
The ministry official said the military’s land force was primarily responsible for the training — which includes an eight-week basic training course and eight weeks of professional training — and that the military had renovated old facilities and training camps to prepare for the new recruitment system.
While the new system significantly shortens the length of male citizens’ military service, the assessment standards for physical fitness would not be lowered, the official said.
He added that those who failed the physical fitness exam would have to re-sit the test and if they flunked again, their leave could be cut or canceled so they could attend more training.
The basic training will feature shooting lessons, physical fitness courses and individual combat skill lessons, while the professional training will seek to equip servicemen with basic military skills.
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