Some members of President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration feel that now is the time to discuss extending mandatory military service, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a source said yesterday.
Politicians of both major parties in the past avoided the issue of extending mandatory military service out of fear of losing the support of younger voters, the official said on condition of anonymity.
Some are calling for the issue to be discussed now, because of the uncertainty sparked by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the official added.
Photo: Bloomberg
Asked recently about the issue, Minister of the Interior Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said that although lengthening the military service period is not solely his decision, he agreed with an extension in theory.
“If it would benefit the safe and sustainable development of our country, then several months or a year more shouldn’t be a problem,” Hsu said.
“Two issues would need to be discussed before the service length is extended,” the official said yesterday. “First, how many troops Taiwan needs and how much the defense budget needs to be increased, and second, if the service length is extended, how would that affect the supply of labor for industry?”
The service length that would likely benefit the military the most while affecting industry the least would be between nine months and one year, the official said.
Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) on Friday said that the issue is being discussed by the administration, but that the current focus is on bolstering the reserve force, and “integrating reserves and active-duty personnel into a single system.”
The aim is to ensure that Taiwan could call up a sufficient number of well-trained personnel if the need suddenly arises, he said.
Whether mandatory service should be extended, and by how much, would depend on training capacity, as well as how much it would benefit Taiwan’s asymmetrical combat capability, he added.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as