A defense ministry official says that 60% of the public supports moving towards an all-volunteer military system.
Currently, Taiwan requires all able-bodied male citizens to serve a stint in the military or perform alternative service. However, the government has made transitioning to an all-volunteer system a goal.
According to the defense ministry official, the move towards a volunteer military force had not gone as well as expected prior to 2013. But with additional incentives and amendments, the number of recruits choosing to reenlist has since increased by 62%. 2014 saw 4,000 more new recruits enlist than 2013. Defense ministry spokesman David Lo explains.
"From the numbers of people who have registered and entered the army since last year, we can be cautiously optimistic," said Lo. "Of course, we will continue to work towards the mission of building an all-volunteer system until we have accomplished it."
However, there is still some debate over the move towards an all-volunteer military force, and this debate looks set to become an issue in the 2016 presidential election.
DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wenrecently said that it is not possible to return to a completely compulsory system. But she added that there have also been challenges with establishing a completely volunteer system.