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Compulsory military service in Taiwan will be extended to one year, up from a period of four months.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen made the announcement in a press conference on Tuesday, Dec. 27.

The monthly salary of soldiers will also be increased from NT$6,510 (S$285) to NT$26,307 (S$1,152). This will be implemented from Jan. 1, 2024, and will affect those born after Jan. 1, 1994, the Central News Agency (CNA) reported.

The announcement was made after a round of high-level meetings to discuss the island's national security that was held following months of discussions prompted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Focus Taiwan reported.

Current conscription level insufficient to deal with rising China threat

The announcement came after 71 Chinese aircraft, including fighter jets and drones, entered Taiwan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ) over the Christmas weekend of Dec. 24 to Dec. 25.

The incursion is the largest one to date, according to the Taiwanese government.

In addition, 43 out of the 71 aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line -- a line tacitly agreed to by both Beijing and Taipei, and designed to keep military aircraft from both sides at a safe distance to prevent miscalculations from escalating to an armed conflict.

At the news conference, Tsai said that "China’s threat has become even more severe since their military drills in August", and described the decision to extend mandatory military service as "incredibly difficult" but inevitable.

She also added that "nobody would want a war… but peace will not fall from the sky".

China has previously staged unprecedented military drills around Taiwan after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the island that went ahead in spite of Chinese warnings.

Tsai also said that the current level of conscription, including reservists, is inefficient and inadequate in responding to China's increasing military threat, particularly if China launched a rapid attack on Taiwan, Reuters reported.

Revamp of military system

According to The Guardian, Taiwan has been gradually moving away from a conscripted military to a volunteer-based force as previous governments attempted to please younger voters.

However, China’s increasing military assertiveness and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have sparked debate on the existing conscription system and defence-related issues.

Taiwan previously required men over the age of 18 to serve four months of mandatory service, inclusive of five weeks of basic military boot camp, followed by 11 weeks of specialised field training.

The new plan will now require recruits to undergo a two-month-long basic training regimen instead.

Recruits are expected to undergo more rigorous training, including combat instruction utilised by U.S. armed forces, and learn to operate more advanced weapons such as Stinger anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles, Tsai said.

She added that the defence structure will be divided into four categories, the first two being the volunteer force and the standing garrison.

The two other categories are the civil defence system and the reserve system, and volunteers would serve as the main combat force while conscripts will man the garrison force, CNA reported.

Chieh Chung, a researcher at the Taiwanese think-tank National Policy Foundation, told Reuters that the extension of military service could boost the armed forces’ manpower by an additional 60,000 to 70,000 personnel annually. The current force consists of 165,000 personnel.

Challenging times ahead

According to a survey by Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation, slightly more than 73 per cent of respondents were in favour of an extension to mandatory military service, The Guardian reported.

However, experts warned that it may be challenging to implement the new conscription plan as Taiwan apparently lacks officers to implement training, and there are insufficient resources and facilities to cope with the new military force structure, Focus Taiwan reported.

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Top images via YouTube/Taiwan Presidential Office & Getty/Annabelle Chih