A military personnel explains the eight-week training course to the newly arrived conscripts in Taichung on Thursday. CNA photo Jan. 25, 2024
Taichung, Jan. 25 (CNA) The first batch of new conscripts starting their one-year compulsory military service, extended from the previous four months starting 2024, reported to boot camps across Taiwan on Thursday.
A total of 670 conscripts arrived at Guanxi, Chenggongling and Guantian military camps in Hsinchu County, Taichung and Tainan in the morning, where they will undergo eight weeks of basic training.
According to officers at Taichung's Chenggongling, the new recruits will also be assessed for special skills, if any, and receive a final exam before they are assigned to their respective military units on March 29.
After graduating from boot camp, the monthly pay for a private and private first class will be NT$21,350 (US$681) and NT$23,140, respectively, both of which includes a basic wage and stipend for special skills, officers said.
During Thursday's orientation, the young men were checked by sniffer dogs for drugs and other contraband, had their heads shaved and bodies deloused before changing into military fatigues, when officers led them to pledge an oath to uphold the constitution and be loyal to the country.
Yin Hsin-shih (尹鑫石), who was among the new conscripts at Chenggongling, said he was a bit nervous at first but then realized it "wasn't as terrifying" as he had been led to believe.
As a citizen of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Yin said he is only fulfilling his duty and has no qualms about the newly extended one-year conscription.
Compulsory military service in Taiwan was reinstated to one year effective Jan. 1, 2024. The measure applies to conscripts who were born on or after Jan. 1, 2005.
From 1949, when the ROC government relocated to Taiwan following the Chinese Civil War until the end of the 20th century, all men aged 18 and over had to serve two to three years in the military as part of the country's conscription system.
After 2000, conscription was gradually reduced, reaching one year in duration in 2008. During the previous Kuomintang administration under President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), which governed from 2008-2016, the government turned the nation's military into a mainly volunteer force, with conscripts, serving in support roles, required to undergo only four months of military training starting in 2013.
According to the Army Command Headquarters, boot camp training is divided into four phases, the first being a focus on establishing core military values, basic physical fitness and combat skills training.
The second phase emphasizes rifle shooting and fundamentals of pistol and machine gun mechanics, it said, adding that the third stage includes advanced marksmanship and combined combat training, all of which are aimed at increasing the conscripts' confidence in weapons use.
The final stage is a five-day exam assessment, including physical combat skills, rifle shooting proficiency, and a comprehensive three-day combat coaching program.
Lien Chih-wei (連志威), a major general in the Army headquarters' Combat Readiness and Training Division, said the eight-week boot camp will teach new recruits basic fighting skills before they are assigned to their respective units.
Following their assignment, conscripts will also participate in the annual Han Kuang military exercises, Lien said.
Not only will the one year extended compulsory service enhance the nation's combat effectiveness, it will also help improve the quality of reserve personnel, he said.
In order to ensure conscripts fulfill their national obligations while helping them cover their family expenses and reduce pressure on student loans, monthly wages have been adjusted in accordance with that of career soldiers, Lien said.
According to the Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday, the military is expected to receive a total of 9,127 new conscripts to fulfill their one-year compulsory military service in Taiwan this year.
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