New figures show that the number of volunteer soldiers in Taiwan is at its lowest point since 2018. The news has reignited conversations about how to attract and retain soldiers.
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00:00Taiwan's military is bleeding volunteers.
00:03That's according to new figures released by the legislature, showing that many combat
00:07units are only about 80 percent staffed.
00:11Experts say that puts a strain on active-duty soldiers and makes operations more difficult.
00:30The number of volunteer soldiers at the end of June was just under 153,000.
00:42That's down from a high of nearly 165,000 at the end of 2021, a drop of more than seven
00:48percent and the lowest level in six years.
00:52Despite these low numbers, the Defense Ministry said last month that it exceeded its recruitment
00:57goals for the year.
00:59While volunteer numbers are down, Chinese military activity around Taiwan is up.
01:04Since the election of President Lai Ching-ta earlier this year, who Beijing views as a
01:08supporter of Taiwan independence, incursions of Chinese military planes and vessels into
01:14the areas around Taiwan have ramped up substantially.
01:18Some believe that more can be done to attract and retain volunteer soldiers.
01:40Taiwan continues to increase its military spending and weapons purchases, but hardware
01:45means nothing without the soldiers to use it, leaving recruiters with a tough job ahead
01:50as they try to fill in the gaps.
01:52Yisen Pan and Chris Gorin for Taiwan Plus.