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.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS