In the first year of reinstating one-year mandatory military service last year, 993 people signed up for voluntary service, a rate of 14.2 percent, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said today.
Ministry spokesperson Major General Sun Li-fang (孫立方) and Major General Cheng Chia-chi (成家麒), who heads the human resources division at the ministry’s Department of Resource and Planning, provided an update on the implementation of one-year conscription at a news conference.
The 993 people who chose to serve voluntarily were out of a total of 6,956 conscripts, the ministry said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The first group of conscripts reported for duty on Jan. 25 last year, with the first of them being discharged on Jan. 18, Cheng said.
The conscripts passed through basic training and joint exercises, Cheng added.
Of the 6,956 recruits last year, 2,047 have been discharged so far, he said.
In addition to the 993 soldiers who switched to volunteer service, 1,871 personnel volunteered for combat units and 331 were discharged early or suspended service for medical reasons, for a total of 3,761 serving in garrison units, Cheng said.
This year, the Ministry of the Interior estimates that 9,839 conscripts would be drafted, Cheng said.
Training is to expand to include new weaponry, such as missiles and anti-tank weapons, Cheng added.
The recent freezes and cuts to the ministry’s budget would not affect conscript training, including on new weapons, said Chen Chun-nan (陳俊男), head of the training division.
To ensure conscripts go through comprehensive training, there is one 13-week base training period, in addition to an eight-week, four stage boot camp.
With regards to the recent "immediate response" drills, officials said that the exercise was focused on regular forces, with conscripts tasked with a supporting role.
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