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Taiwan military to lengthen boot camp training for voluntary soldiers

ROC Central News Agency

12/20/2022 03:08 PM

Taipei, Dec. 20 (CNA) New voluntary military recruits will undergo more intense and longer boot camp training from next year in order to boost their combat preparedness, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced on Tuesday.

In a press briefing, Major General Liu Shen-mo (劉慎謨), director of the Military Training Division under the MND's Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Training, said that currently all new voluntary military recruits undergo 230 hours of training over five weeks of boot camp.

Starting from Jan. 1 next year, boot camp will be extended to eight weeks with the total training hours increased to 380 hours, Liu said. Aside from what is taught in the existing training program such as combat skills and weapon usage, the new training program will include health management, pressure resistance, sports science, survival skills and casualty care, among others, he said.

The new recruits will also spend more time on marksmanship training.

Currently, recruits only need to fire 86 rounds of ammunition in the prone position during boot camp training. Starting next month, they will need to fire a total of 160 rounds of ammunition in standing, prone, and kneeling positions and during night time, according to Liu.

After completing the eight-week boot camp, the recruits will be assigned to their respective military units for further training as they begin their service, he added.

The boot camp change, however, will not affect conscripts who must complete compulsory military training. They will still undergo a five-week boot camp before being assigned to field units.

The nation's military is currently a mainly volunteer force, with conscripts serving in a supporting role, with the total number of troops at around 215,000.

As of 2021, there were a total of 160,000 voluntary military personnel.

During Tuesday's press event, Liu said the decision to change the boot camp training program was meant to meet "the needs of modern warfare and learn from the experience of other more advanced countries," without elaborating.

Taiwanese media have previously reported that the military was considering a more intensified training program as there was a lot of doubt on whether the existing military training was sufficient for teaching soldiers required combat skills in the event of a Chinese invasion.

(By Matt Yu and Joseph Yeh)

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