The Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday said it is considering a policy change that would require discharged female military personnel to take part in reservist training, after training capacity has been increased.
This is just one way that the role of women in the military can be expanded. Currently women make up only 15 percent of Taiwanese military personnel and they are not subject to conscription.
Taiwanese males must serve four months in basic military training after they turn 18 and they can be called up for active duty if conflict breaks out.
There is no logical reason for not requiring Taiwanese females to also do basic training, as is the practice in Israel. Women could be given basic firearms training, or be trained to operate missile systems, drones or other military equipment that is essential to the nation’s asymmetrical warfare strategy.
Not having equal participation of women in the military is a disadvantage for combat readiness.
As the situation in Ukraine has demonstrated, a foreign invasion can happen with little warning. Ukraine’s resistance to the Russian invasion has garnered much attention in international media, and there has been no lack of involvement by Ukrainian females in the resistance effort. Arguably, that resistance would have been even more effective if all of the adult citizens in Ukraine had undergone basic weapons training after turning 18.
Taiwan should act now to implement such a policy while it still has the opportunity to do so.
The Central News Agency on Tuesday reported that reservists in Taiwan have long complained that not requiring females to do regular reservist training as well as males is “a form of discrimination on the basis of gender.”
More could also be done to make military service an attractive option for female recruits. Taiwan has faced challenges transitioning to an all-volunteer military, and having more women sign up for service would make it easier to reach recruitment targets.
To make that happen, the ministry would need to ensure that women do not face harassment or discrimination while serving, and offer salaries and advancement opportunities that are commensurate with those in the private sector.
A ministry-produced music video titled Staunch Wings (像天空一樣) was released on Tuesday to celebrate 10 outstanding Taiwanese female fighter pilots. People who left comments on YouTube said they were “moved to tears,” a report said.
Videos such as this are a great way to encourage women to consider military careers. The ministry could also have female military personnel visit schools to talk to students about their lives.
There are likely to be concerns by some that increased female enrollment in the military would exacerbate Taiwan’s declining birthrate. The ministry could address such concerns by allowing flexibility for women who join the military, for example by allowing women to be stationed closer to family members, offering better birth-related benefits and longer paid maternity leave, and offering stable working hours for mothers.
There are many roles in the military where physical stature has no bearing on an individual’s ability to carry out their role. The operation of computers, radars and missile systems, the piloting of naval vessels and aircraft, logistics, training, engineering and medical positions, intelligence roles and many other military jobs do not rely on physical strength, and therefore differences in male and female physiology are irrelevant to those roles.
The ministry should tackle the image of the military being a male domain and find ways to encourage greater participation by women. Taiwan cannot afford to leave women out of its national defense strategy.
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