Lawmakers expressed concern yesterday about whether Taiwan could transform its compulsory military service system into a full volunteer service, citing the budget needed for such an undertaking.
They voiced doubts after Minister of National Defense Kao Hua-chu (高華柱) said earlier in the day that the Ministry of National Defense was planning to offer volunteer military personnel a salary double that of the country’s minimum wage under the new system.
Currently, the minimum wage in Taiwan stands at NT$18,780 per month. The ministry’s plan is part of an effort to encourage people to join the armed forces and to enlist for longer periods of time, according to a ministry report submitted to the legislature.
An increased budget would be necessary if the new system is to be implemented, the report said.
However, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) questioned how the ministry would be able to operate the new system amid a trend towards decreased national defense budgets.
At a legislative session, Kao said in response that the ministry would seek the budget necessary to fulfill the policy.
“Only with a reasonable budget will we be able to attract outstanding people to join the military,” he said.
The all-volunteer military system is part of a package of amendments to the Act of Military Service System (兵役法) passed by the legislature in December last year.
Starting next year, Taiwanese males born after Jan. 1, 1994, are to be exempted from the current one-year compulsory military service, but will still be required to undergo a mandatory four-month military training period upon reaching conscription age, the ministry said.
The training will be divided into a two-month boot camp, followed by two months of specialist training, the ministry said.
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