The government will raise the salaries of soldiers in chemical warfare, engineering and communications units, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said during her review of the 99th Marine Brigade yesterday.
If a plan by the Ministry of National Defense to give bonuses to combat troops is approved by the Executive Yuan, military personnel in other branches might also receive extra pay, a ministry official said on condition of anonymity.
The ministry does not know whether the Executive Yuan, which is evaluating the plan, will accept it in part or as a whole, the official added.
Photo: CNA
The proposal would affect 29,995 personnel serving in drone-equipped aviation units, the 101st Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion and other units, the official said.
The proposal would increase the ministry’s budget by NT$1.19 billion (US$39.44 million), the official said.
Combat units began receiving bonuses on April 1, 2015, with troops in the type one category receiving an extra NT$5,000 per month and those in type two receiving an extra NT$3,000.
Many units depending on volunteer soldiers are understaffed and have not met their recruitment growth targets, according to military evaluations.
Part of the problem is that the bonuses are distributed through brigade payrolls, which leaves out certain battalions and units that are not a part of a brigade’s formal organization, the official said.
The ministry reviewed its bonus distribution system to boost morale and came up with the new bonus plan, the official said.
If the budget proposal is approved by the Executive Yuan and passes legislative review, the type one bonus would be paid to soldiers in the 101st Reconnaissance Battalion and drone-flying aviation units, the official said.
Chemical warfare, engineers and communications soldiers would receive the type two bonus, the official added.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
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