Taiwan Beefs Up Defense: Conscript Numbers Surge in 2025

Increased Military Service Sees a 41% Rise in Conscripts, Signaling Taiwan's Commitment to National Security.

Taipei, Taiwan – The number of young Taiwanese men entering the full-year compulsory military service program is set to jump by 41% in 2025, as announced by a senior military official on Wednesday. This significant increase underlines Taiwan's ongoing efforts to bolster its defense capabilities.

Major General Cheng Chia-chi (成家麒), head of the human resources division at the Ministry of National Defense's (MND) Department of Resource and Planning, stated that the military anticipates enlisting 9,839 conscripts in the full-year program. This data, sourced from the Ministry of Interior, indicates a substantial rise compared to the 6,956 conscripts enlisted in 2024.

The training regimen for new conscripts is also evolving. Following the initial eight weeks of boot camp, which will now include training with pistols, machine guns, Stinger missile systems, and drone operations, conscripts will be assigned to designated units for an additional 13 weeks of base training, according to Cheng. This enhanced training reflects Taiwan's commitment to modernizing its armed forces and preparing them for contemporary challenges.

The move to a full year of compulsory military service, which began in January 2024, aims to reinforce Taiwan's combat readiness, particularly in light of increasing regional tensions. Recruits born after January 1, 2005, are now subject to the one-year service requirement. However, many young Taiwanese are able to defer their service while attending college. Consequently, although approximately 75,000 young men are expected to be conscripted in 2025, the majority will still serve only four months due to birth dates prior to 2005 and recent graduation.

The MND projects that the number of conscripts in the one-year program will experience a more significant surge starting in 2027, when college graduates born in 2005 or later will be recruited. In 2024, out of nearly 7,000 who entered the full-year service program, 993 opted to join the armed forces as volunteer soldiers, while 322 suspended their service due to health issues, and nine received early discharge.

This shift represents a return to longer service requirements that were in place for many years. From 1949, when the Republic of China government relocated to Taiwan, men were required to serve two or three years. The duration was progressively reduced to one year by 2008. Under the administration of former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), the focus shifted towards a volunteer military force, with compulsory service shortened to four months starting in 2013, a policy that remained in effect until 2024.

Currently, Taiwan’s military predominantly relies on a volunteer force of roughly 215,000 personnel, with conscripts playing a supportive role. As of June 2024, there were 152,885 active-duty voluntary military personnel within Taiwan's armed forces.