The senior-high school section of Chung Cheng Armed Forces Preparatory School has registered 580 cadets out of 900 applicants, a three-year high.
The numbers show that willingness to serve in the military has not been affected by pension reform. They also shatter the lie that Chinese Communist Party (CCP) saber-rattling affects willingness to serve among Taiwanese.
A former director of National Defense University’s Fu Hsing Kang College who became an instructor following several years of military service applied for retirement at age 47 and began receiving his lifetime pension.
In addition to a monthly stipend of about NT$60,000, he continues to work, having entered the tourism industry. Many of his coworkers are amazed at his double income.
His example shows that most service members have a guaranteed livelihood after retiring, which is nothing like what some rumor-happy people have said about severe effects on one’s livelihood leading to a poor quality of life.
Good treatment of and benefits for veterans seem to have been factors for many applicants taking the preparatory school’s placement exams.
As for the CCP’s threats to use military force against Taiwan, some people in social discourse are trying to convince others that bravery and willingness to serve would take a hit among most people.
After all, nobody who serves in any country’s military is particularly keen about the prospect of war, and the threat to life and limb.
However, if the CCP launches a war, all Taiwanese would need to face this trial. It would be unavoidable for everyone.
If everyone has the resolve to face a national crisis together, and show determination to resist and fight back, it would be a blow to the CCP’s ambitions for Taiwan.
That so many fresh graduates of junior-high schools are willing to apply to the preparatory school — the nation’s base institution for the cultivation of officers and the core of the military — clearly shows that the younger generation is not only willing to fight back against aggressors, but is also willing to bear the burden of protecting home and country.
Chen Chi-nung is a former specialist training instructor at Cheng Kung Lin Base.
Translated by Tim Smith
The first Donald Trump term was a boon for Taiwan. The administration regularized the arms sales process and enhanced bilateral ties. Taipei will not be so fortunate the second time around. Given recent events, Taiwan must proceed with the assumption that it cannot count on the United States to defend it — diplomatically or militarily — during the next four years. Early indications suggested otherwise. The nomination of Marco Rubio as US Secretary of State and the appointment of Mike Waltz as the national security advisor, both of whom have expressed full-throated support for Taiwan in the past, raised hopes that
Whether in terms of market commonality or resource similarity, South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co is the biggest competitor of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC). The two companies have agreed to set up factories in the US and are also recipients of subsidies from the US CHIPS and Science Act, which was signed into law by former US president Joe Biden. However, changes in the market competitiveness of the two companies clearly reveal the context behind TSMC’s investments in the US. As US semiconductor giant Intel Corp has faced continuous delays developing its advanced processes, the world’s two major wafer foundries, TSMC and
There is nothing the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) could do to stop the tsunami-like mass recall campaign. KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) reportedly said the party does not exclude the option of conditionally proposing a no-confidence vote against the premier, which the party later denied. Did an “actuary” like Chu finally come around to thinking it should get tough with the ruling party? The KMT says the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is leading a minority government with only a 40 percent share of the vote. It has said that the DPP is out of touch with the electorate, has proposed a bloated
Authorities last week revoked the residency permit of a Chinese social media influencer surnamed Liu (劉), better known by her online channel name Yaya in Taiwan (亞亞在台灣), who has more than 440,000 followers online and is living in Taiwan with a marriage-based residency permit, for her “reunification by force” comments. She was asked to leave the country in 10 days. The National Immigration Agency (NIA) on Tuesday last week announced the decision, citing the influencer’s several controversial public comments, including saying that “China does not need any other reason to reunify Taiwan with force” and “why is it [China] hesitant
RSS