Specialized Units To See Pay Increases To Boost Troop Numbers

TaiwanPlus News

Some units in specialized roles, like counter-intelligence, drone warfare and tactical air control, are set to receive pay raises as part of the military's efforts to attract and retain talent amid growing threats from China.

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00:00Frontline units, drone operators, and specialized personnel are set for major pay boost this

00:05year, with some allowances jumping as much as 140 percent, the Defense Ministry says.

00:10The move aims to attract recruits, keep skilled staff, and strengthen Taiwan's readiness

00:14for a potential conflict.

00:30In November, the Defense Ministry revealed that while they were able to recruit more

00:35people than expected this year, they're still operating at only 80 percent of their full capacity,

00:40a gap the Defense Ministry hopes to fill with these pay raises.

00:44But the military is still growing. Last Thursday, President Lai Qingde announced

00:47nearly 40 billion U.S. dollars in funding for a new air defense system, precision munitions,

00:53fighter jets, and more, all of which need personnel to operate.

00:56As the Defense Ministry focuses more on advanced to complex weapons,

01:02keeping skilled personnel is becoming increasingly important.

01:06Currently, more than half of military staff receive frontline combat allowances,

01:10and the Ministry plans to extend these to newer units, like drone operators.

01:13If there are five units, it's going to be related to the military's standards. If it's

01:19according to the military's standards, we will all compete with the military's standards and

01:24take the military's standards. Personnel in counterintelligence, air defense, cyber warfare,

01:29and maritime and aviation rules will also see more benefits.

01:33All of this comes as China keeps up pressure on Taiwan. The Mainland Affairs Council says five new

01:37sites have been built along China's eastern coast, including air force bases, naval facilities,

01:42and fuel storage depots, all facing Taiwan.

01:45From上海的浦东,到浙江的勒青湾,以及章浦直升机,

01:50these three軍事基地都在擴建,可以直接驻扎它的海军附战队,

01:55或者是空向兵,威胁台湾以及澎湖.

01:59There could be further increases in military pay. This latest report does not include the doubled

02:03volunteer allowance that opposition lawmakers approved in June. With the shrinking population,

02:08the Defense Ministry is putting more energy into making military service attractive,

02:12and its latest reports show it's willing to invest heavily to do so.

02:15Ryan Wu and Larry Siano for Taiwan Plus.

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