Taiwan has been changing its military training in light of threats from China. As it looks to expand its forces, the military is offering new opportunities to women for the first time.
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A Taiwanese woman prepares to register for military reservist training. This is the first time Taiwan has arranged this kind of training for female veterans.
One woman says she ended her military service about a year ago, and she’s a bit nervous about being part of the first round of reservist training for women. But she says she hopes to do her best for Taiwan.
Fourteen women have registered for reservist training on the first day, and predictions say around 220 women will sign up this year. They will undergo the same training as male reservists.
Currently there are only five reservist training bases, raising concerns that not all reservists will be able to retrain in their original specialty. But national defense researcher Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) says the military should be able to avoid this issue with proper planning.
Another challenge for the military is that a declining population means there are fewer young people to enlist and a significant number of volunteers drop out early. Over 4,000 soldiers were deemed unfit for service last year, the highest number in the past five years.
The majority of soldiers who leave the military do so for personal reasons like career changes or general dissatisfaction with military life. Su says Taiwan should consider a more flexible training schedule for soldiers, similar to programs in the United States and Israel. He says soldiers in these countries have schedules that leave time for leisure activities and make them more likely to stay.
Although Taiwan is looking to increase the intensity of its military training, it may also need to be flexible with reservists if it wants the military to grow.