Taiwanese military struggling to find enough volunteers even as spending rises

Taiwan’s military is facing a worsening manpower crisis as the numbers volunteering to serve continue to shrink.

The trend has raised concerns that the shortfall could undermine combat readiness even as the government plans record levels of defence spending in response to US lobbying and the growing strength of mainland China’s military.

According to a recent report by the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Centre, the overall personnel fill rate – the ratio between authorised and actual troop numbers – fell from 88.6 per cent in 2020 to 78.6 per cent in 2024. By June this had dropped further to 75.6 per cent, the lowest in recent years.

In its recent review of the military’s 2026 budget plan, the centre warned that although defence spending was set to hit a new high next year, allowing the armed forces to buy more weapons, “advanced weaponry can only deliver expected effectiveness when operated by well-trained personnel”.

But the report noted: “The voluntary force’s fill rate has kept falling, and many frontline units receiving combat-duty pay still remain below 80 per cent staffing.”

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In August, the island’s cabinet approved a record total NT$949.5 billion (US$29.2 billion) defence budget for 2026 – equivalent to 3.3 per cent of GDP – in response to Beijing’s growing military threat and US calls for allies and international partners to “pay their fair share”. The proposal still awaits final approval from the legislature.

South China Morning Post