KMT presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih is making waves with his views on conscription. In an interview on Monday, he said that as president, he intends to restore cross-strait peace and reduce the conscription period to four months. The proposal drew fire from the ruling DPP, which accused him of conspiring with the CCP.
Military conscription returns to a one-year term starting next year. Ahead of the policy rollout, the education and defense ministries have announced a so-called “3+1” plan. The idea is to let college students complete their studies in three years and serve in the military for one, allowing flexibility in time management. But presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih objects to the plan.
Hou Yu-ih
Presidential candidate
I oppose this “3+1” plan. It’s disruptive to the college education system. The key issue is that the DPP has made cross-strait tensions so dangerous that it’s had to extend mandatory military service. If I’m elected president, I will work hard to ensure peace and stability across the strait. Once cross-strait peace and stability are ensured, I will reinstate the four-month term.
Tsai Shih-ying
DPP lawmaker
When amendments to the Act of Military Service System were sent to the Legislative Yuan, no one – including the KMT— raised any objections, and so the case cleared the floor right away. The proposal Hou Yu-ih put forth yesterday was utter nonsense. The only party that would agree with him would be the Chinese Communist Party, which would propose the exact same thing.
The DPP lawmaker cited the Ma administration as an example. Although former President Ma Ying-jeou claimed he achieved peaceful cross-strait ties during his tenure, PLA missiles continued to target Taiwan during that time, and so the military threat remained. The lawmaker said that Hou’s promise of cross-strait peace was merely empty words. Meanwhile, a defense analyst raised examples from abroad, to warn that defense policies must be handled with care.
Su Tzu-yun
Institute of National Defense and Security Research
Modern democratic countries, including Japan and the U.S., all struggle with recruiting volunteer soldiers. In countries with smaller populations, the recruitment problem is even worse. Due to Taiwan’s low birthrate, the number of men available for conscription each year will likely be between 68,000 and 70,000. So the pool of volunteer soldiers is even smaller. Under such circumstances, restoring one-year conscription will be extremely helpful for national defense.
According to the military expert, bringing back the four-month term would not be in line with the military’s needs or global best practices. What’s more, amid China’s continued aggression, shortening conscription would only weaken its combat capabilities and compromise its security.
