Taiwan began training its first group of recruits under extended one-year compulsory military service on Thursday, a policy proposed by outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen in 2022 in response to growing belligerence from China.
Taiwan previously required only four months of compulsory service but, as of January 2024, men born after 2005 will be required to serve for one year. Those born before 2005 will continue with four months of conscription.
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The new batch of recruits will be expected to not only serve for longer but to train harder, with a focus on combat instruction more comparable to U.S. military training. The new conscripts will also train with anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles.
Eighteen-year-old conscript Yin Hsin-shih told Reuters on Thursday he was “a little bit excited” about his service. He agreed that longer service was necessary to “provide the needed defense power, given that our neighboring country is a great threat to our nation.”
Members of Taiwan’s military reserve force march during a training exercise in Taoyuan, Taiwan, on May 9, 2023. (I-Hwa Cheng/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Much of the Taiwanese public shares Yin’s enthusiasm, according to polls that found 70 to 85 percent support for longer conscription periods. Many poll respondents felt the shorter conscription period was a waste of time since the conscripts were not able to obtain effective training and practice their skills in only four months. Some critics of Taiwan’s conscription policy look to the example of South Korea, where 18 months of service is mandatory.
On the other hand, some young Taiwanese worry that a year of mandatory service will seriously disrupt their career and education plans.
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U.S. Department of StateDuring the 2024 Taiwanese presidential campaign, all three of the leading candidates supported the longer one-year service period — it was one of the few issues they agreed on.
Some young Taiwanese men told Channel News Asia (CNA) in early January that a longer term of service with better training would increase morale because four months in which conscripts “pick weeds and do bayonet drills” seemed pointless. Some conscripts from the four-month system said they did little more than household chores around the base during their service.
“The point is not the length of service but its content. I think the greatest obstacle of military service is whether the equipment is adequate,” said 17-year-old Wu Heng.
“One year of service should be more useful than four months, at least I’ll be able to learn some actual skills. They’re also raising our pay, so I hope to have some savings,” agreed 18-year-old Huang Cheng-te.
