TAIPEI (TVBS News)—A researcher at Taiwan's Association of Strategic Foresight (中華戰略前瞻協會) revealed on Monday (Sept. 9) that Kinmen, Matsu, and Penghu will see a dramatic increase in conscript numbers in 2025. The number will likely rise from 175 this year to 725, nearly four times the current figure.
Research fellow Chieh Chung (揭仲) analyzed that the rapid decline in voluntary military personnel has led to this shift. The budgeted number of voluntary officers and soldiers in the national army was 171,422 in 2023, but it will drop to 160,749 in 2025. He described this decrease of 10,673 personnel over two years as an "avalanche."
Meanwhile, in Penghu, which executed a joint anti-landing exercise during this year's Han Kuang military drill, the budgeted manpower will drop from 7,185 this year to 6,093 in 2025. This reduction of 1,092 personnel, equivalent to two battalions, represents a 15% decrease.
Chieh suggested that this increase in conscripts for the outer islands might indicate the military's struggle to maintain adequate staffing levels, as the rapid loss of voluntary personnel has forced the military to deploy more conscripts to these critically understaffed areas.
The Ministry of National Defense (MND, 國防部) plans to send conscripts to Kinmen and other outer islands to address the low staffing ratios, Chieh surmised. However, he warned that this could lead to management issues, such as scheduling and training, especially on smaller islands like Dongding, Liang Island, Gaodeng Island, Greater Qiu Islet, and Juguang.