National Defense: Manpower Structure

As introduced by the Yearbook of the Republic of China:

A member of the ROC military may be an officer, a noncommissioned officer (NCO), or an enlisted man. He may be serving on either a volunteer or conscript basis, and may be on active duty or reserve status.

Officers

Officers in the ROC military are generally graduates of military academies who become career officers, graduates of different specialized military schools who serve shorter terms of duty, or college graduates who have passed a written test to become reserve officers.

Approximately 15 percent of the officers commissioned each year are graduates of military academies, 65 percent are graduates of specialized military schools, and the remaining 20 percent are reserve officers.

The ratio of officers to NCOs is about 1:1.76, and officers to enlisted men is 1:1.96. Thus, the ratio of officers to soldiers is 1:3.72.

Noncommissioned Officers (NCOs)

NCOs are the backbone of the Armed Forces' smaller units and are required to train troops and develop their combat performance. In recent years, recruiting quality professional officers has been more urgent because of the new generation of weaponry.

Over recent years, the recruitment of voluntary NCOs has been satisfactory. The proportion of NCOs in the whole Armed Forces has increased to 75 percent in 2003 from 63 percent in 1995. Of these, the number on active duty, assigned duty, transferred duty, and women's voluntary NCOs has increased from 28 percent to 48 percent. This has improved the manpower shortage and helped to stabilize basic troop levels. As part of its plan to replenish NCOs within the 2003-2007 plan, the MND will raise the educational level of recruited personnel, expand the sources for NCO recruitment, and gradually increase the percentage of NCOs.

Conscripts

The Military Service Act of the ROC requires all males in the Republic of China to fulfill military service. Article 3 of the law states: "Male persons shall be liable for military service on January 1 of the year immediately following the year during which they reach the age of 18, and shall no longer be drafted for service beginning on December 31 of the year during which they reach the age of 40." Citizens who have been sentenced to imprisonment for five years or have served a total time in prison of three years are ineligible for service.

Military conscription is administered jointly by the Ministry of National Defense (MND) and the Ministry of the Interior (MOI). The MND is responsible for securing an adequate number of conscripts and training them, while the MOI determines the sources of the conscripts and ensures their rights and benefits. Generally, conscripts undergo 22 months of training.

The Implementation Act for Substitute Services was revised on June 18, 2003. Those who are not suitable for regular military service are allowed to choose substitute services, according to their interests or special skills. The categories for these services include domestic security (police and fire fighters), social services (social, environmental protection, medical, and educational), and other categories designated by the Executive Yuan. In 2003, about 12,202 young men served substitute services.

Male senior high school, vocational high school, and college students whose studies would be interrupted by military conscription can defer their induction until after graduation. Young men who fail the medical exam are exempt from military conscription; those in poor health serve in the militia.