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Military personnel to be cut to 200,000: new defense minister

ROC Central News Agency

2008-05-21 15:56:50

    Taipei, May 21 (CNA) New Minister of National Defense Chen Chao-min confirmed Wednesday that his ministry will continue streamlining the military, with the ultimate goal of reducing the number of military personnel to 200,000.

    Chen made the remarks in his first report to the Legislative Yuan since being sworn in a day earlier along with all the members of the new Cabinet under the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou.

    Speaking at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committees, Chen said that the ministry will conduct a complete review of the various branches of the armed forces as well as the ratio of high-ranking officers to enlisted personnel in carrying out the streamlining program.

    He said that the streamlining plan will include all ranks of military personnel, and not just low ranking soldiers.

    Chen also answered legislators' questions on various military-related topics, including introducing a volunteer recruitment system, arms purchases, and the neutrality of the military.

    The new defense minister said that promoting the introduction of a fully professional, voluntary military recruitment system is one of President Ma Ying-jeou's policies and that his ministry must work in line with this policy.

    Nevertheless, he said the ministry will not introduce a voluntary system just for the sake of doing so.

    Noting that all countries that have adopted such a system face problems regarding the quality of recruits, Chen said that one of the main considerations of his ministry in studying the full implementation of such a system is whether the quality of military personnel can be maintained.

    Chen said another reason for continuing the military streamlining plan launched under the former President Chen Shui-bian's administration is that a voluntary recruitment system cannot be completed all at once under the current defense budget, which stands at 3 percent of gross domestic product.

    He assessed that the number of military personnel, which currently stands at 270,000, will first have to be cut to 250,000 in the initial stage, before gradually being reduced to the final goal of 200,000 in the future.

(By Steve Bercic)

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