The legislature’s Budget Center has called on the military to release 191 unused bases for development to avoid waste, saying maintenance is likely to cost taxpayers about NT$26.19 million (US$829,322) in the coming fiscal year.
The findings, published by the center in a report, said that due to military cutbacks between 1997 and 2014, the total number of armed forces personnel fell from 460,000 to 210,000, with many barracks becoming unused and redundant.
The Ministry of National Defense has been amalgamating its camps, establishing barracks that house personnel from all three branches of the military and relocating away from cities, the report said.
Empty bases must have guard patrols to deter crime and regular sanitation sweeps to prevent mosquitoes from breeding, as multiple infestations have been reported at the sites, it said.
However, the ministry’s efforts to release idle bases have not kept pace with their evacuation and as of June this year, the number of unused bases had increased to 191, causing security and sanitation-related expenses to rise from NT$6.47 million in 2013 to an estimated NT$26.19 next year, it said.
A total of 1,906 vacant structures and 357,302m2 of floor space are contained within the 191 unused bases and maintenance costs are “a drain on public funds” and “disadvantageous to the efficient use of government resources,” the report said.
According to sources, releasing idle bases from military control is constrained by factors such as strategic value and the demands of local development, and the military is often hesitant to yield unused facilities, fearing that they could be needed for unanticipated reasons or emergencies.
Former minister of national defense Kao Kuang-chi (高廣圻) had previously told reporters that it is necessary to keep barracks and drill grounds in excess of the needs of the current force if the nation is to maintain its ability to mobilize reserve combat units and their logistical counterparts.
Any camp or base released from military control could cause irreversible losses if needed in the future, he said.
In response to the report, the ministry said the Armaments Bureau had prepared detailed plans for releasing unneeded military camps under a compensation scheme, and the budgets allocated to vacant sites are pertinent to public safety and sanitation needs.
When asked for comment, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said lawmakers should defer to the Ministry of National Defense regarding to its retention of strategically important bases or other facilities allocated for the needs of reservists, which are distinct from unused bases.
To avoid unnecessary expenditure or their abuse by criminal elements, the idle camps that serve no potentially useful military end should be repurposed as soon as possible, Wang said.
“The Ministry of National Defense should itemize its idle camps, review its strategic deployment plans and make a report to the legislature; reusing the lots for ‘green’ zones, parking space, community activity centers, care centers and day care centers should all be considered,” he said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lu Yu-ling (呂玉玲) said due to the continued reduction of military personnel, revitalizing idle military sites is clearly a requirement, but the central government has a responsibility to provide oversight on local governments’ demands to requisition military land.
“The central government should not permit local governments to take land from the Ministry of National Defense whenever they wish; their overall development plans must be reviewed and all revitalization projects for military camps must be dedicated to public use, while those that appear to serve private needs or be for commercial gain should be rejected,” she said.
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