Taiwan's Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said on Wednesday (23/3) that he was considering extending military service for his people. Currently, military service in Taiwan lasts only four months.
Speaking before lawmakers, Chiu said the proposal to extend the military service period was still under consideration. However, he confirmed that there would be a new plan proposed this year.
Taiwan has gradually transitioned from conscription to a volunteer-dominated professional force. China's growing pressure and the Russian invasion that became a reality, made Taiwan feel that it had to strengthen itself as quickly as possible.
"We have to consider the enemy's situation and our defense operations in terms of military strength," Chiu said, as quoted by Reuters.
Today, Taiwan's military is clearly much smaller than China's. However, strategists hope that superior training can help give them an edge in conflict.
Taiwan's government under President Tsai Ing-wen is also continuing to work on a program to reform reserve training. Tsai is championing the idea of asymmetric warfare to make the island's army more mobile and agile.
The mandatory military service rules in Taiwan were first introduced in 1951. Until 1954, some conscripts underwent two years of training.
At that time, conscripts for the navy, air force, and special forces had to carry out their duties for three years. It wasn't until 1981 that all conscripts from all forces had to serve for two years.
In 1991, the time was cut to 22 months. In the following years, the military service period continued to be gradually cut down to just one year in 2008.
Citing the Taipei Times, in 2013, the military service period for men born after 1994 was cut to just four months. December 2018, the last group of conscripts was discharged. The conscription program was eventually replaced with volunteer troops.
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