TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) Legislator Shen Fu-hsiung (沈富雄) on Sunday (Sept. 22) suggested Taiwan recruit mercenaries from Afghanistan to address the severe impact of declining birth rates on military personnel planning. He noted that Switzerland had previously adopted a similar approach.
The Legislative Yuan's (立法院) assessment report revealed that the number of volunteer soldiers in Taiwan's national military dropped to 150,000 this year, marking a six-year low. Combat units now operate with less than 80% of their required personnel. Since peaking at the end of 2021, the volunteer force decreased by 5,492 in 2022 and 4,706 in 2023, reaching 150,885 by the end of June.
Shen emphasized that while public attention often focuses on the closure of private schools due to low birth rates, the impact on military personnel is equally severe. He urged the Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) legislative caucus to hold a meeting to pressure the government into addressing the issue.