For young people in Taiwan, military service is difficult to sell despite tensions in China

TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan Air Force Staff Sergeant Jiang Pin-shiuan at Tamkang University in Taipei appeared convincing: Join the armed forces of the island and get a state-sponsored degree, 110 days off a year and an annual saving of $ 312,500 a year. $ 10,200).

But many students listening showed little interest, arguing that the national service was a "waste of time" and that the prospects of a self-managed island rising economically or militarily face a China's increasingly aggressive were thin.

"China could simply crush Taiwan with its economic power. There is no need for a war that wastes money, "said Chen Fang-yi, 18, an engineering engineer. "I do not have a lot of confidence and expectations for the national army."

Conferences at universities and high schools of the island, dancing dolls and real size, show of a crowd enlightened by a unit of the special forces, the Taiwanese army tries to recruit soldiers whereas it is entirely voluntary after decades of conscription.

Taiwan pledged in 2011 to phase out conscription in order to reduce costs and strengthen the professionalism of its forces as it tried to better deter the Chinese threat by enhancing the capabilities of cyber warfare and warfare. other high-tech weapons.

The island's defense ministry said it would be able to reach the target of 81 percent of the 188,000 volunteer soldiers estimated to be needed to defend against any attack from Beijing. Here the end of the year. He hopes to raise this percentage to 90% by 2020.

Beijing regards Taiwan as a lost province and has never given up the use of force to bring it to the heel.

According to military experts and government auditors, recruitment is difficult and the growth of voluntary recruitment is not fast enough to make up for the worsening military imbalance in the Strait.

China, whose official defense budget was about 15 times higher than that of Taiwan last year, alarmed Taipei by flying bombers around the island and removing members of its band of diplomatic allies. .

In a report released in December, three government auditors warned that the growth in the number of volunteer recruits had been slow, raising concerns about Taiwan's combat strength.

"The government needs to consider whether it is necessary to reinstate conscription if it views national security as an important issue," said Lin Yu-fang, head of the Taipei-based National Policy Foundation and former president of the government. Congress Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee of Taiwan.

"We will pay a heavy price for the move … We will not be able to find enough soldiers."

The island's defense ministry announced to Reuters that it would continue to increase the number and quality of its armed forces and that it had prepared all necessary plans for possible military actions by the military. China. He also urged the public to provide "support and encouragement" for the transition.

DODGING TRAINING

Convincing more young people to join the armed forces has been made more difficult in the past by Taiwan as a military dictatorship. The death of a young conscript in 2013 after being punished for misconduct, which triggered major protests, also dealt a blow to the military.

The service is so unpopular that more than 1,000 reservists have been charged in the last three years for escaping mandatory retraining.

"This raises a very difficult question about national morale. If there is a conflict, what will people do? "Said William Stanton, a professor at National Taiwan University and former head of the de facto US Embassy in Taipei.

Last year, Taiwan spent nearly 47 percent of its defense budget, which amounted to 319.3 billion UAE dollars, in labor costs. Military experts said the budget for the acquisition of weapons has been reduced.

The goal of the island to move to a volunteer force exclusively by 2019 will be "more expensive than expected", which will divert funds from the acquisition and defense preparation, announced the US Department of Defense in a report to Congress in May.

Taiwan has reduced its obligatory service to four months, which, according to analysts, aims to calm young voters who favor personal freedom over civil obligations.

But for some, even reduced training is perceived as a futile exercise.

"Anyway, we will not win a war with China," said Hsu Kai-wen, a 20-year-old graduate, a reluctant conscript who was recently awarded a four-month service in the navy after a draw. . "Why do I have to waste my time in the army?"