Taiwan’s military is grappling with a personnel shortage as a growing number of volunteer soldiers and officers opt for early discharge, despite the financial penalties.
In 2020, 401 personnel applied for early discharge, having agreed to pay the fees to leave. Last year, that figure rocketed to 1,565 personnel, according to figures obtained through a legislative query submitted to the island’s cabinet last week.
Taiwan’s volunteer soldiers are expected to be the main fighting force in a conflict because they receive more extensive training compared to the mandatory military service force, which has a set service duration of one year.
Wan Mei-ling, a legislator from the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party, called the trend “alarming”.
She warned that the ongoing personnel shortages risked undermining Taiwan’s defences amid escalating military threats from mainland China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Wan noted that since William Lai Ching-te became Taiwan’s leader in May last year, he had emphasised national defence and security, established the Whole-of-Society Defence Resilience Committee, and worked to improve the abilities of the island’s defence forces.
