Are the problems that exist with Taiwans military fixable?
It is, after all, a military of conscripts drawn from a relatively small country whose job it is to defend itself against the world’s most populous nation. Conscription has become a bit of a joke here in Taiwan. It is not even a two-year enlistment. They have it down to 20 months now. Soon it will be 18 months. You cannot maintain a well-trained military under the current program. To make matters worse, political correctness has almost ruined the military. The boot camp is more like a Girl Scout camp. Conscripts have told me that it was a “joke” and “too easy.” You lose a lot of respect for command when you do not get properly indoctrinated. Commanders are more afraid of angering the parents of conscripts than an invasion from China. That is why I argue that they won’t stand and fight, at least, not now. What do you think of some politician’s plans to reduce the length of national service, down from 20 months to possibly as few as three? It appears more designed to pacify the parents t
