Efforts to improve Taiwan’s reserve forces through paid weekend training programs have largely fallen short, with enrollment steadily declining from 300 reservists in its first year to only 31 last year, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report.
The Ministry of National Defense in 2017 began a pilot program encouraging reservists to return for training by offering them a daily wage based on their status when discharged from active service.
In 2018 the recruitment rate for the program was 54.6 percent and 359 slots were left unfilled, the Budget Center said.
Photo: AFP
Recruitment for the program across the military fell short of expectations and the quota was reduced annually, with 266 reservists joining the program in 2021, marking an 89.47 percent recruitment rate, it said.
The ministry previously proposed increasing recruitment incentives by establishing preferential regulations for reservists, but this year only the navy and air force recruited a total of 32 reservists for the program, a new low, the center added.
Although the Information, Communications and Electronic Forces Command would begin staffing its own reserves next year, the quota is still only 35 people, falling short of past levels, it said.
The center called for a review to assess whether the program is reaching its original objective.
The ministry’s program targets reservists whose physical condition, performance and conduct all meet required standards.
People in the program report to military camp two days each month and participate in a major exercise each year, and are expected to spend at least 29 days at camp per year.
They are paid a daily wage calculated according to their rank and pay grade when they were discharged from active service.
They enjoy the rights and wages of soldiers and must abide by restrictions of those with military status.
During their contract, reserve forces in this program are prohibited from entering China or transiting through Hong Kong or Macau, and any overseas travel must be approved.
Even after the contract, they are still subject to travel restrictions under the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法).
In related news, while the number of reservists receiving bonuses for attending at least five training sessions is increasing, the total number of volunteers for training is decreasing, according to the Budget Center’s data.
Under new education and training rules, reservists who have attended five training sessions get a NT$5,000 bonus for attending each additional training session.
The number of reservists receiving these bonuses has risen from 20 in 2023 to 61 people this year as of August.
In 2023, the ministry opened voluntary training to male and female reservists, but the number participating in this training has decreased annually even while quotas have increased, the center said.
In 2023 the quota for male reservists was 575, and 362 completed the training, it said.
The quota rose to 1,100 last year, but only 308 did the training, and with a quota of 1,190 this year only 260 had done it as of August, it added.
A similar trend shows for women, with a quota of 220 in 2023 resulting in only 58 completing the training and a quota of 480 last year, but only 12 completing it.
The quota for this year was raised again to 590 reservists, but only six people had done the training as of August.
The lack of response may be due to the complexity of the process, including reliance on non-electronic paperwork and requiring multiple visits to local reserve commands, the center said.
The ministry said it is addressing this by developing a new information system and considering simplifying the registration process.
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