Mon, Dec 15, 2025 page2

• Defense ministry eyeing new physical standards

  FEWER EXEMPTIONS: Many of the changes are focused on tightening requirements that have been abused to gain exemptions from service, such as hypertension

  • By Lee Wen-hsin and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer
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  The Ministry of National Defense has previewed proposed changes to the physical standards governing military service eligibility and exemptions.

  The standards comprise 193 items, of which 180 would be revised under the proposed changes, according to the ministry.

  Exemptions from military service would be granted only to those with a body mass index (BMI) above 45 or a height below 144cm, if the amendments are approved.

  

  Taiwanese conscripts undergo military training at a military base in Chiayi County on Sept. 26.

  Photo: Lin Yi-chang, Taipei Times

  The draft stipulates that only people with moderate or severe hypertension accompanied by damage to related organs would qualify for exemption. Such cases would be required to undergo 24-hour continuous blood pressure monitoring during a hospital stay of one to three days.

  The ministry said the requirement was introduced in response to recent cases of organized conscription evasion.

  To address differences in duties among alternative service positions, the proposed amendments would divide alternative service classifications into Grade A and Grade B, with conscripts assigned to different agencies accordingly.

  Alternative service Grade A would apply to men with a BMI between 15 and 16.5, or between 32 and 37.5. Grade B would apply to those with a BMI below 15 or between 37.5 and 45.

  Active-duty recruits would remain subject to the BMI standard of 16.5 to 32. For a 170cm tall person, the current exemption threshold of 101.3kg would be raised to 130.2kg if the amendment passes.

  Height standards would be adjusted, with exemptions limited to those 144cm or shorter. Alternative service Grade A would apply to men who are 145cm to 149cm tall, while Grade B would carry no height restriction. Active duty standards would be revised to require a minimum height of 150cm.

  Exemptions for flat feet would be abolished. Previously, those with an arch angle greater than 168° qualified for exemption.

  Under the draft, such people would instead be classified as alternative service Grade A, while the active duty standard would be revised from an arch angle of 165° or less to 168° or less.

  Cases of severe hallux valgus or varus with exostosis or bunion, as well as high foot arches with a Hibb’s angle greater than 90°, would be reclassified as alternative service Grade B rather than exempt.

  Rules governing herniated intervertebral discs would be tightened. Under previous regulations, people who had undergone surgical removal were exempt. Under the draft, those whose condition has been treated and whose neurological electrophysiological tests show no nerve root or spinal cord damage would be classified as fit for active duty.

  Those who have undergone disc removal surgery with no such damage would be classified as alternative service Grade A, while people with confirmed nerve root or spinal cord damage would be assigned to Grade B.

  Only those who are legally recognized as disabled would qualify for exemption.

  Those diagnosed with mental illness who have undergone treatment for more than one year and whose condition is confirmed upon re-examination would qualify for exemption. The remarks section would add a requirement for a psychological assessment report issued by a psychiatrist, accompanied by a complete treatment record of at least one year.

  Exemption criteria for severe depressive disorder would likewise be tightened, extending the minimum treatment period from six months to one year. Those whose condition has not improved and experience impaired social functioning would be required to submit a psychiatrist-issued psychological assessment report and complete medical records.
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