Ministry of National Defense: Volunteer force increased by about 5,000, showing significant results

Taipei, July 6 (CNA) Regarding the current state of military personnel, a report recently submitted by the Ministry of National Defense (MND) to the Legislative Yuan indicates that the overall force readiness rate is 80% by the end of 2025. Furthermore, statistics from June of this year compared to the same period in 2025 show an increase of over 5,000 volunteer service members. This demonstrates that policies such as improved salary and benefits are conducive to stabilizing young people's willingness to join the military, and the overall improvement in military personnel has achieved significant results.

The Foreign and National Defense Committee of the Legislative Yuan has invited Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo to report on "Military Personnel Policy under the Impact of Low Birth Rate and Future Response Plans" on the 8th, and to be questioned. The MND submitted its written report to the legislative members' offices today.

The MND pointed out that the number of eligible conscripts has shown a decreasing trend year by year since 2021. In 2023, the number of eligible conscripts fell below 100,000, and it is projected to further decrease to over 77,000 by 2027.

The MND stated that as of the end of 2025, the overall force readiness rate of the military is 80%, with volunteer service members accounting for 77.3% and one-year conscripts accounting for 2.7%.

Regarding the results of the military personnel policy in recent years, the MND explained that to stabilize the grassroots combat effectiveness of the troops, efforts have been made in aspects such as humanized management measures, optimizing living environments, relaxing recruitment conditions, and increasing salary and benefits.

The MND analyzed that after the implementation of the aforementioned policies, volunteer service personnel in 2025 increased by over 3,000 compared to 2024, and the retention rate in 2025 increased by 5.2% compared to 2024. The number of individuals unable to adapt decreased by 1,652 compared to 2024. Additionally, statistics from June 2026 and the same period in 2025 show an increase of over 5,000 volunteer service members, indicating that the promotion of various policies and the improvement of salary and benefits are conducive to stabilizing young people's willingness to join the military, and the overall improvement in military personnel has achieved significant results.

The MND further pointed out that since January 1, 2024, the conscription period has been restored to one year. After completing comprehensive training including enlistment, stationing, and base training, regular troops can be replenished with combat power in a timely manner.

Regarding future plans, the MND stated that at the current stage, in line with the directions of "technology replacing manpower" and "firepower replacing traditional forces," efforts will be made to strengthen recruitment and retention, review and adjust salary and benefits, improve talent cultivation, and introduce technological advancements for military transformation to consolidate military human resources.

The MND mentioned that the military continues to utilize female personnel. Since 1991, the military has gradually increased the employment of female personnel. In 2011, the proportion of female employment was 8.2%. As of now, the number of female officers and soldiers serving in the military accounts for about 16.6% of the current personnel, which is comparable to the United States (17.7%) and France (17%). Currently, except for submarines and rescue ships due to space limitations, all positions in the three branches are open for female officers and soldiers to experience. The military will continue to promote a female-friendly workplace environment to attract more professional women to join the military. (Editor: Lin Hsing-meng) 0706

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