The armed forces are at 80 percent strength, the Ministry of National Defense said in a report submitted to the legislature as part of the annual budget review.
The report did not include troops enlisted through the one-year compulsory military service that was reinstated earlier this year.
The military’s staffing level was 89 percent in 2020, 88 percent in 2021, and 80 percent in 2022 and last year, it said.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
Taiwan’s declining population, the COVID-19 pandemic, competition from the civilian sector and inadequate salaries and perks offered by the military are to blame for the ministry’s recruitment woes, the report said.
Citing Ministry of the Interior data, the report said the pool of Taiwanese men who could potentially serve in the military last year decreased to 97,828, down from 102,740 in 2022.
The situation is expected to worsen with Taiwan’s 2031 military staffing pool dropping to a projected 74,036, it said.
The report revealed a worrisome decline, lawmakers reviewing the defense budget told defense officials during a question-and-answer session.
Some combat units are at less than 80 percent of their required strength and last year’s 78 percent retention rate was just above the government’s target of 76 percent, the lawmakers said.
The reintroduction of mandatory service would help provide troops for defense, but not combat units, which need seasoned professionals with skills acquired over years of training, the lawmakers said.
The defense ministry is urged to step up its recruitment efforts by reviewing its current methods, while paying particular attention to increasing the number of volunteer soldiers and boosting retention, they said.
Ministerial departments would provide the legislature with more written reports on these matters, they added.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
RSS