Taiwan's Military Tackles Rumors of Equipment Shortage

Taiwan’s military appears to be struggling to make sure that its one-year conscripts have enough resources.

Transcript

00:00Taiwan's defense ministry could be struggling to make sure that its military, specifically

00:07its one-year conscripts, have enough resources.

00:13Local media reported that one group of military officers said they were lacking the equipment

00:17and human resources needed to train soldiers.

00:21Those officers tried to ask the defense ministry for help, but then instead approached lawmakers

00:26that shed light on the issue.

00:28Addressing those concerns, this is what the defense ministry had to say.

00:31Back at the end of 2022, Taiwan made the decision

01:00to increase its mandatory military service from four months to a year due to threats

01:05from China, which seeks to control Taiwan.

01:08In addition to that extension, the military said it would implement more realistic training

01:13and give soldiers more time to handle weapons.

01:18But analysts say that while expanding training is a step in the right direction, the military

01:23will need to also invest more in infrastructure and equipment if it wants to train all 9,000

01:29recruits this year.

01:30This doesn't just include weapons, but also things like housing, military clothing, and

01:34food for its troops.

01:56While the military says it's confident it has the necessary budget and resources needed

02:00to train its conscripts, there could be an even bigger problem, as the military might

02:05be dealing with a shortage in military personnel, partly due to a low birth rate.

02:10The military denied to comment on rumors of personal shortages at this press conference,

02:15saying it's already met its target for its incoming troops.

02:18The defense ministry says it's now focused on training the next incoming wave of conscripts

02:22to the best of its ability.

02:24Luffy Lee and Jaime Okan in Taipei for Taiwan Plus.