The Ministry of National Defense is considering trialing reservist training for women at the platoon level next year, after women expressed an interest in participating in such training, Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) said yesterday.
The announcement came after President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Tuesday said the nation would extend the conscription period from four months to one year.
Women participating in reservist programs would be limited to those who have voluntarily served in the military.
Photo: CNA
The ministry’s capability to train female reservists has been limited, due to insufficient equipment and measures to accommodate women, Chiu said.
However, it would address the issues and trial a female reservist training program next year, he said.
If the trial proves successful, the ministry would consider holding another training program at the company level, he added.
Chiu said the ministry is working on the details and is not ruling out that women could be distributed to combat units.
However, the upcoming reservist training session would not involve women, due to scheduling issues, Chiu said, adding that the trial program would be held separately to gauge its viability.
Separately, the Ministry of Education plans to allow students to begin their mandatory service during university to ensure they can continue their education or transition smoothly to the workforce.
The education ministry plans to have universities give students the option to perform their mandatory service and complete their studies by taking extra classes over the summer and winter vacations.
Such a scheme would not require a legal amendment and would be optional, it said, adding that students could also start their mandatory service after graduating.
It would discuss the plan with universities as early as next year, the education ministry said.
University heads said winter and summer vacation classes are already available, adding that the issue is whether more professors would be willing to teach such courses.
They said online courses became popular during the COVID-19 pandemic and could be a solution to tackle the issue.
Additional reporting by CNA
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