Is the Iron Rice Bowl No Longer Appealing? Soldiers Willing to Pay NT$20 Million to Leave Military

Taiwan's military is facing a severe shortage of grassroots personnel, with an increasing number of soldiers choosing early discharge even at the cost of massive debt. According to the latest statistics from the Ministry of National Defense, by the end of 2025, a total of 6,315 military personnel had applied for early discharge. Among them, 4,267 had not completed their service term and were therefore required to reimburse the government for training and education costs, amounting to a total compensation of NT$929.17 million—about two-thirds of all applicants.

Breaking down the figures further, three individuals owe more than NT$20 million each, three owe between NT$10 million and NT$20 million, and ten owe between NT$5 million and NT$10 million. The largest group, with 92 people, falls within the NT$1 million to NT$1.5 million range. So far, 3,817 have completed their payments, totaling approximately NT$341.86 million, while about NT$587.31 million remains unpaid.

The Ministry explained that early discharge compensation can be paid in up to 60 installments, so most unpaid amounts are still within the scheduled payment period and should not be immediately classified as bad debt. Currently, 594 individuals have applied for installment payments—about 14% of those liable—with 36 failing to make payments as scheduled. The Ministry will continue to follow up according to regulations.

Between 2021 and 2025, 2024 saw the highest number of early discharge applications, with 1,589 soldiers applying, 1,076 of whom incurred compensation obligations totaling approximately NT$259.55 million.

Why are young soldiers willing to pay such high penalties to leave? Chang Yen-ting, former Vice Commander of the Air Force, analyzed on a political commentary program that troop shortages—estimated at around 50,000—have led to drastically increased workloads for grassroots personnel, creating a vicious cycle.

Chang noted that after deductions for health insurance and pension contributions, a volunteer soldier's monthly take-home pay is only about NT$38,000. He lamented that while an average young person might save NT$500,000 per year, it would take 40 years to save NT$20 million. For soldiers in their early 20s, paying such a sum is equivalent to 'losing their entire lives.' Yet they still choose to leave, indicating just how unbearable the pressure and environment within the military have become.

He urgently called on the government to address the issue seriously. 'Military pay is too low—why would anyone want to serve? It's better to work as a delivery rider,' he said, urging a substantial monthly raise of NT$30,000 for volunteer soldiers in frontline combat units. He emphasized that the government must not be stingy when it comes to supporting grassroots troops. He also criticized past ridicule of soldiers as 'rice bugs' as extremely unwise and urged the ruling party to immediately and comprehensively improve military待遇, ending its ostrich-like avoidance of the issue.