Over 60,000 Former Soldiers Avoid Military Course Refreshment|規避教召 因事出國者近三年達6萬多人

Many men in Taiwan receive orders to return to the military for course refreshment after completing their compulsory service. To avoid the order, many choose to travel abroad during the period. The latest survey revealed that more than 60,000 men in the last three years have done so. This trend has led many to worry about the combat capability of the military's reserve forces.


Many men receive orders to return to the military for course refreshment after completing their compulsory service. Many choose to avoid the order by traveling abroad. A recent report from the Control Yuan reveals that 61,463 men in the last three years have avoided the order, citing reasons related to traveling abroad. The number accounts for 77 percent of all former soldiers who are permitted to not attend the course refreshment. However, there were 1,642 former soldiers who were prosecuted for resorting to illegitimate reasons to avoid the order. The trend has led to worries that it might affect the combat ability of the military's reserve forces.

(The trend) has led to worries about the military's combat capabilities. There are only two orders (for military course refreshment) in 8 years, and if these are the people who serve in our military reserve, it makes us worry about the army's combat capabilities, especially under current cross-strait tensions.

According to the current Act of Military Service System, the conditions under which a former solider is allowed to avoid course refreshment include: physical disability, major family incident, and traveling abroad. Most people avoid the order citing traveling abroad. The Ministry of National Defense shows, in their latest statistics that the total number of military reserve hovers around 130,000 per year, and the number has been declining from 2015 to 2017. On the other hand, the total number of soldiers permitted to not attend course refreshment exceeds 20,000 in 2015 and 2016. The Ministry of National Defense has also changed the total number of course refreshment from 4 times in 8 years to twice.

People have their own life and career after completing their military service. They might believe that attending course refreshment as non-essential combat personnel is a waste of time. Therefore, if we want to improve the combat capabilities of our reserve forces, we should considering extending the length of the refreshment course.

Officials said that the length of military training has been dwindled to only 4 months for all who are born after 1983, and that avoiding course refreshment will further reduce the military's combat capabilities. On the other hand, the Ministry of National Defense issued a statement saying that they have adjusted the regulations and mandate all who avoid course refreshment due to traveling abroad to attend to course in the following years. The ministry said that adjustment has led to a drop in the number of former soldiers that avoid course refreshment, down to 21,000 in 2017.