In recent years, the Taiwanese army has suffered from a shortage of soldiers and frequent incidents of“Flash soldiers”(deserting military service) . The authorities have announced a draft amendment to the“Standards for differentiating military service positions,” preparing to significantly reduce the scope of exemption from military service, patients with various diseases may want to enlist in the future, immunity requirements of the lower limit of IQ has also been revised down to 70, causing strong doubts in the island.
Taiwan’s“United Daily News” recently reported that Taiwan’s“Ministry of National Defense” announced last year that it would amend the law to significantly reduce the scope of exemption from military service: in the past, venereal disease and cancer patients were almost exempted from military service, the new system has been changed to“If you are in stable condition, you must serve in the Army”; in the past, you were exempted from military service if you had a record of major thoracotomy or cardiac surgery The standard will also be revised down from the current 85 to 70. Recently, many non-fresh graduates rushed to the new system on the road before the application for medical and immunization certificates in advance, set off a wave of“Re-examination tide” in the island.
The number of residents fell from 18,585 in 2023 to 17,507 in 2024 and 16,040 last year, the report said. According to the Bureau, from 2023 to 2025, the rate of exemption and alternative service, which refers to service in other public agencies and other institutions as an alternative to military service, can be seen, since 2023, the permanent reserve service will be maintained at more than 65% , the alternative service will be maintained at 8%-13% , and the exemption ratio will not exceed 23% . From January to May this year, there were a total of 196 applications for re-examination in Xinbei City. Many college students who have undergone major operations such as heart surgery and have been in the military for a long time have recently rushed to obtain re-examination exemptions, that’s because they’re worried that if the new system hits the road, they might be asked to serve. A civil servant in charge of military service said that many men and their families, who are sick or have undergone surgery, are worried about the service and want to be exempted from it. Wu Liyu, head of the military conscription section of the New Taipei City Civil Affairs Bureau, said he had recently received some applications for re-examination, with flat feet accounting for the majority of cases, followed by patients with stable epilepsy.
In addition, the lower threshold of IQ for servicemen has also caused controversy. Some local governments and military personnel have expressed concern that the new system seems to supplement the number of soldiers, but in fact it sends more servicemen with hidden mental and physical conditions into the camps, and not only does the number of available soldiers not increase, the army is also becoming more difficult to manage, which could turn it into a“Nanny for new recruits”. A front-line military service contractor revealed helplessly that when the authorities held a briefing meeting, after learning that people with lower iqs and severe and stable conditions had to serve, they began to worry that they couldn’t handle it, “Military pay attention to a command a movement, let the cognitive doubts of the military, will only lead to more discipline problems.”.
Taiwan retired general Zhang Yanting questioned, if the body is very weak military service, “You have to send troops to take care of him.”. Ma Wenjun, a KMT legislator, said on a political talk show that the Taiwan authorities continue to invest in budgets and plan to purchase advanced weapons and equipment such as drones, but the IQ standard has been lowered to 70, highlighting policy contradictions. “Is this Taiwan army capable? Do We really need this army?” She bluntly asked, if the measure is only to raise the number of troops, so that the Taiwan Army staffing ratio (the actual number of troops and the ratio of the rated number) up to standard, but in the end“Is useless.”.
Taiwan’s army has been struggling to recruit in recent years. In May, Taiwan’s“Legislative Yuan” budget center submitted a report saying that all weapons and equipment collected by the authorities must be operated by fully equipped and well-trained non-commissioned officers and soldiers, after the year 2021, the ratio of volunteer soldiers on the island has been decreasing year by year. At the end of 2023, it was less than 80% , and at the end of April this year it was 69.53% . The ratio of officers and non-commissioned officers has always been less than 90% . According to the report, the number of draftable men in 2023 will drop below 100,000 for the first time, and is expected to drop below 80,000 in 2027.
Retired Taiwanese army general Li Zhengjie satirized that due to the shortage of soldiers, Taiwan’s defense department was frantic, so they pulled soldiers everywhere to achieve the goal of supplementing soldiers. But he said that the practice is not desirable, the Taiwanese people just do not want to serve in the army, the DPP authorities at the expense of the People’s safety. Youth groups worry that the frail and sick are more vulnerable to bullying. “Are these people being used as cannon fodder?” A number of netizens lamented. “The children of Taiwanese government officials don’t have to serve in the military. We ordinary people don’t want to die for them.”.