Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng says a report evaluating conscription length in Taiwan will be published at the end of this year. He says any change to conscription length will begin one year after a decision is made. This development came during a report Chiu gave to the legislature on Wednesday.
The ongoing war in Ukraine has prompted Taiwanese authorities to reevaluate the country’s defense capabilities. Lawmakers have advocated extending Taiwan’s four-month mandatory conscription to a year or longer. A Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation poll released on Tuesday shows that 76% of respondents think conscription should be longer.
Minister Chiu says he does not plan on amending the law to extend service length because that would take too long. Currently, the law only allows the government to implement one-year or four-month conscriptions. However, right now, Taiwan only enforces the four-month program. Chiu says that the country would most likely return to a one-year model if the government wanted to introduce a longer conscription.
Chiu says his ministry needs to assess outside threats, budgeting, training, and defense requirements before making a decision. He says changes to conscription will not affect Taiwan’s volunteer force policy. In 2018, Taiwan began moving towards an all-volunteer force.