Taiwan will extend its compulsory military service from four months to one year — a sign the island sees intensifying Chinese threats as so severe that it must reverse its previous policy that minimized conscription.
includes a plan to devote $2 billion annually for Taiwanese training and arms purchases, plus $1 billion annually from a category of assistance that allows the White House to send allies weapons from U.S. stockpiles.Shi Yi, spokesperson for China’s Eastern Theater Command, called the recent maneuvers a “resolute response to the current escalation of provocation and collusion between the U.S. and Taiwan.
“It had been a widely debated topic for a long time, but faced with Chinese threats, the government was left little room to be hesitant,” said Evans Chen Liang-chih, associate fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, a state-funded think tank in Taipei. Other major changes include raising the monthly salary for conscripts from $210 to $660 and teaching recruits how to use U.S.-made antitank Javelins, air-defense Stingers and drones that have been an important part of Ukrainian defenses against Russian aggression.These adjustments come after a number of defense changes announced over the past year to boost combat readiness. A department to improve reservist training was established in January.
Another concern is that lengthened service may not result in higher-quality instruction. Critics note that recruits often spend the training period doing menial tasks like sweeping floors or running errands for senior officers instead of learning combat skills.“Many people think it’s a waste of time. It doesn’t invoke a sense of honor,” said Wu Cheng-Yu, 23, an advertising undergraduate student who has yet to go through training.
Wu, in contrast, feels duty-bound to serve in the military and learn to fight. “I think it is necessary to make a sacrifice for the place where I grew up,” he said. “But it’s a shame that the training often gives people the impression that it’s like a summer camp.”
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