The number of volunteer soldiers in Taiwan's military, which has struggled with troop shortages amid continued cross-strait military tensions with China, has increased, according to a recent report. Analysts say that although the pool of eligible conscripts is shrinking rapidly due to low birth rates, improvements in pay and welfare have boosted enlistment demand among young people.
According to Taiwanese media including the China Times on Monday, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense stated in a report titled "Military Human Resources Policy in Response to Low Birth Rates and Future Response Plans," recently submitted to the Legislative Yuan, that the number of volunteer soldiers as of last month increased by approximately 5,000 compared with the same period a year earlier.
The report explained that Taiwan's pool of conscription-eligible individuals has declined every year since 2021, falling below 100,000 for the first time in 2023. At the current pace, it is projected to shrink to around 77,000 by 2027. In response, the ministry has pursued policies to maintain the combat readiness of frontline units by improving living conditions such as barracks, easing some selection criteria, and raising pay and welfare levels.
The ministry said that following these measures, not only did the number of volunteer soldiers rise, but the proportion of personnel choosing long-term service also increased, while cases of failure to adapt to military life declined, improving key indicators. "Improving pay and service conditions raised young people's willingness to enlist, which led to the increase in volunteer soldiers," a military official said.
Expanding Female Ranks and Advanced Forces: A Long-Term Response to Troop Shortages
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense plans to restructure its military going forward by maintaining combat power through advanced weapons systems and firepower rather than simply solving the troop decline by adding personnel. The strategy is to reduce dependence on manpower through science and technology and to operate limited forces more efficiently.
The expansion of female troops is also proceeding in parallel. Taiwan has pursued a policy of expanding female personnel since 1991, and the proportion of female soldiers has now risen to 16.6 percent. This is close to the levels in the United States (17.7 percent) and France (17.0 percent), and the ministry plans to continue creating a female-friendly service environment to further increase female applicants.
However, some in Taiwan express concern that stably securing specialized personnel to operate advanced weapons will not be easy amid a shrinking labor force across society due to low birth rates. Observers point out that as the introduction of new weapons increases, securing skilled personnel and retaining long-term service members will become key tasks for maintaining military strength in the future.
Live-Fire Drills Conducted: Strengthening Readiness Amid China Containment
Meanwhile, Taiwan's military conducted live-fire drills the previous day in the Gangzi area of Manzhou Township near Zhufeng base in the southern county of Pingtung, to verify annual field air-defense capabilities.
The drills involved the army artillery unit, the navy's marine corps, the army aviation unit, and the military police unit. Live-fire exercises were carried out using deployed domestically produced Tien Kung-2 surface-to-air missiles, as well as U.S.-made Avenger anti-aircraft missiles and Stinger surface-to-air missiles.
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