New Defense Budget Excludes Pay Raises for Personnel

TaiwanPlus News

The defense ministry held a "military carnival” in Taipei on Sunday to celebrate Armed Forces Day early. But the celebration coincided with bipartisan backlash over Premier Cho Jung-tai's Thursday announcement that next year’s budget won’t include a raise in military salaries despite the nation's largest defense budget increase in 17 years.

Transcript

00:00Under the blazing sun, Air Force Academy cadets came out in force in Taipei's Xinyi District, showcasing their musical talents.

00:09It's a campaign to get the public more acquainted with the military.

00:13Taiwan's Marines, also there, with a mini version of their growing road to have an obstacle course.

00:19This is the Defense Ministry's military carnival, held to celebrate Armed Forces Day on September 3rd.

00:30But this comes after Premier Zhuo Rongtai announced last Thursday that next year's budget won't include pay raises for service members.

00:47That's despite promises of around $1,000 per month for volunteer soldiers, a bill opposition parties pushed through the legislature in June.

00:56Zhuo says those payments can only be made once the Constitutional Court decides it doesn't violate the Constitution,

01:04comments that raise concern among both ruling and opposition parties.

01:07So let's do it.

01:37personnel is reasonable, as long as it accounts for the country's economic means.

02:01The Cabinet's defense budget proposal is more than 30 billion U.S. dollars for 2026,

02:07slightly exceeding 3 percent of GDP, the highest increase since 2008.

02:12But now, lawmakers are waiting for the final budget approval,

02:16and they'll be closely watching how pay raises for service members are factored in.

02:21Ryan Wu and Ellen Liu for Taiwan Plus.

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