Defense ministry details measures it is implementing to boost recruitment

By Huang Ching-hsuan and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer Add TT as Preferred Source The Ministry of National Defense (MND) is implementing 14 measures to boost military recruitment as the number of new recruits declined for the second consecutive year.The armed forces recruited 18,900 people in 2023, 17,971 in 2024 and 17,113 last year, while the overall fill rate was 80 percent, 78 percent and 80 percent respectively, the ministry said.According to an estimate by the Ministry of the Interior’s Department of Conscription Administration, the number of men eligible for regular military service is expected to fall below 80,000 next year. Taiwanese soldiers stand in formation at an undisclosed military base in an undated photograph. Photo: Taipei Times To address recru