Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Government decisionmaking is never easy, and the hardest part is choosing between what the public demands and what is in the best interests of the nation. The decision to reinstate one-year conscription was one such choice.

Former presidents Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) since 2000 worked toward shortening the mandatory service period while transitioning to an all-volunteer military. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has decided to restore the mandatory service period to one year and modify the structure of the nation’s military.

Following the passage of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act by the US House and Senate with the support of the Democratic and Republican parties, US President Joe Biden on Friday last week signed the act into law.

Among many other things, the act authorizes the provision of a US$2 billion loan to Taiwan every year for five years from next year to 2027 through the US Department of State’s Foreign Military Financing, thus implementing the resolution embodied in the Taiwan Policy Act of 2022 to defend Taiwan’s security and support its self-determination.