TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced on Wednesday (July 5) significant revisions to the selection and training guidelines for volunteer soldiers and military police.
The amendments aim to meet the manpower needs of the military and adjust the physical requirements to align with international standards.
The revisions include relaxing height restrictions for both male and female recruits. Under the previous guidelines, male volunteers were required to be between 158 cm and 195 cm tall, while females had to fall between 155 cm and 185 cm.
However, the new regulations now allow male recruits with heights ranging from 152 cm to 200 cm and female recruits from 150 cm to 200 cm.
The Body Mass Index (BMI) requirements have also been adjusted, with male recruits now needing a BMI between 16.5 and 32, while female recruits must maintain a BMI between 17 and 26.
The MND explained that these adjustments were made to align with the actual needs of the military and referenced the height restrictions implemented by advanced countries such as the United States and Japan.
Also, the ministry cited the increasing prevalence of electronic devices and a rising proportion of nearsighted individuals among the population as factors behind the relaxation of vision requirements for military police recruits.
In conjunction with the revisions, the ministry removed the restriction on flat feet exceeding 168 degrees and adjusted the anemia standards.
Previously, male recruits with hemoglobin levels below 12gm/dL and female recruits below 11.5gm/dL were deemed ineligible. The revised guidelines now require male recruits to have hemoglobin levels below 13gm/dL and female recruits below 12gm/dL.
The revised guidelines for military police also reflect its need for female recruits by slightly relaxing the height requirement from 156 cm to 185 cm to 155 cm to 185 cm.