The number of active military personnel in Taiwan has increased to nearly 230,000, up by about 10,000 from 2021, the first increase since the military underwent downsizing under the administration of former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), the Ministry of National Defense said in a report.
The military, which peaked at about 700,000 active personnel, dropped to 600,000 in the 1980s, 400,000 between 1997 and 2001, 265,000 in 2002 and 215,000 after 2014, said the report, which is to be presented to the legislature today.
The Ma administration intended to implement another downsizing project that would have reduced the number of active military personnel to between 170,000 and 190,000, but the proposal failed due to opposition from lawmakers.
Photo: Taipei Times
The number of active-duty personnel has increased by 3,000 since 2023, while volunteer numbers have increased by 2,000 since last year, the ministry said.
As of the start of this month, 651 non-commissioned officers, 3,820 officers and 10,407 regular soldiers had been added this year, or 102.2 percent of the target, it said.
Its standard for retention is 76 percent, but retention rates from 2022 onward have exceeded that, averaging 86.5 percent so far this year, up 4.5 percentage points from last year, it said.
Moreover, the number of unsuitable officers and soldiers is on the decline, dropping to 2,900 as of this month from 5,509 in 2022, it said.
Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) is expected to brief the legislature today on plans to ensure that military units are up to strength, with the report sent to lawmakers yesterday.
The report focuses on measures to consolidate basic combat capabilities among general troops, as well as reduce personnel outflow, increase willingness to continue service and step up recruitment, the ministry said.
Relaxed regulations over young people serving are also being considered, it said.
The military this year to date is 20.8 percent understrength, with volunteers comprising 76.9 percent of active-duty personnel and those serving their one-year mandatory service accounting for 2.3 percent, the report said.
The ministry expects the figure to drop to 20 percent by the end of the year, it said.
Ministry of the Interior data showed that 9,127 people were expected to serve their mandatory military service last year, but only 6,956 began it, or 2.5 percent of active military personnel, the report said.
The data showed that 15,205 people were to commence their one-year service this year, but only 8,291 — 2.9 percent of active military personnel — did, it said.
However, the number of active-duty personnel across next year and 2027 is expected to increase, meaning the personnel shortage would ease, it said.
The defense ministry said that the interior ministry’s estimates of the number of eligible males scheduled to serve their mandatory time in the military have declined since 2021, with the 2027 prediction for fewer than 80,000, highlighting the danger of declining birthrates to national defense.
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