[Global Times Special Correspondent Chen Lifei] After the disastrous defeat of the DPP's "Nine in One Initiative", the issue of extending military service has become a hot potato.
On the one hand, the Tsai Ing-wen authorities dare not offend young people for the sake of the 2024 Taiwan leader election;
The Taiwanese media questioned this, if the extension of military service and the purchase of arms are all due to pressure from the United States, can such an authority still convince the public?
"Of course it's a political calculation"
Taiwan's "China Times" stated on the 19th that Taiwan's "Minister of Defense" Qiu Guozheng has repeatedly expressed the hope that the military service extension will be announced before the end of December. Now there are less than two weeks left before the showdown, but the policy has not yet been announced.
The reason is that Tsai Ing-wen's office is considering the election and trying to wait for changes.
According to Taiwan's "Military Service Law", if the compulsory service period is extended within one year, it can be implemented one year after the "Executive Yuan" announces it.
That is to say, if it is announced before the end of December this year, it can be implemented in 2024. If it is not announced before the end of this year, it will be announced next year, and it will have to wait until 2025 to implement it.
A military official said that if it is worried about the impact on the 2024 election, "if it is not announced now, it will have a greater impact next year?" According to actuarial calculations, most men who will turn 18 in 2024 are studying in college, and only a few thousand draft men were recruited in the first year, "not even 10,000".
According to reports, the Taiwan Army plans to organize five new reserve training brigades, which have been organized into three new training brigades of infantry 117, 109, and 101, and will be ready next year.
Tainan County Mayor Su Huanzhi revealed on the 18th that a friend of his told him that the Democratic Progressive Party had a big defeat in the election review and listed the issue of extending military service as a reason for the failure of young people not to vote. Election 2024.
He criticized that if this news is true, it is a very serious problem. The entire DPP party may be seen through by the Taiwanese. Tsai Ing-wen and Lai Qingde should come out and make it clear.
The chairman of the Kuomintang, Zhu Lilun, also criticized that everything in the DPP is a political calculation. "Will there be a political calculation in the military service extension case? Of course it is a political calculation."
Handling cross-strait relations well is fundamental
Taiwan's "Executive President" Su Zhenchang said on the 18th that the military service extension case is being finalized, but with regard to defense, "diplomacy" and cross-strait affairs, this is Tsai Ing-wen's authority, and the "Executive Yuan" will fully cooperate. The practice will be reported to the public.
Taiwan's "Ministry of National Defense" spokesman said on the 18th that the adjustment of the service period involves a wide range of issues, and must consider various factors such as international and regional situations, defense operations needs, improving the combat power of the Taiwan military, and career planning for draftees. The integrated method is carefully researched and discussed.
According to the Lianhe News Network, various departments of the Taiwan military are still moving towards the path of not going through the "Legislative Yuan" to amend the law, planning to "restore the conscription system", extend the service period to one year, and arrange supporting measures.
There are different views within the Taiwan military on the extension of military service.
Feng Shikuan, chairman of Taiwan's "Retirement Association", said on the 19th that the 4-month military training service is too short, and it is reasonable to extend the military training service. "It is true that if you want to be a combat soldier or combatant, 4 months is not enough." , Now it is just waiting for the research of the "Ministry of Defense".
Some retired generals believe that military service should not only be extended, but also extended to two years, and extending to one year is not enough.
However, some people in the military believe that Taiwan's military training resources are insufficient, and the "military culture" formed by the cadres' lack of insight, knowledge, and courage cannot attract young people, and the military is unwilling to invest in solid training. Even if it is extended to one year, it will only have a psychological comfort effect, which will neither improve combat power nor waste resources.
The general said bluntly that the DPP should properly handle cross-strait relations. This is fundamental, and extending the service period is not the solution.
In this "nine-in-one" election, the opposition forces proposed "vote for the DPP and young people go to the battlefield", which caused the DPP to collapse completely. The common people clearly told the DPP with their votes that they do not want war.
Tsai authorities dare not disobey the US
The issue of extending military service seems to be imminent for the DPP authorities.
"China Times" said on the 19th that if the DPP announced before the end of December as planned, it would be tantamount to admitting that it has been in power for many years and pushed the Taiwan Strait into a dangerous situation. How can it be beneficial to the 2024 election?
However, "the extension of the service period is a request from the US side, and the Tsai government is gritting its teeth and will push it away."
The United States wants the Taiwan authorities to strengthen the reserve combat power of the Taiwan military, and the Tsai authorities have pushed forward truthfully; the United States wants Taiwan to increase its defense budget, and the Tsai authorities have complied; now it wants the Taiwan military to resume conscription and extend the service period. "Although it will affect the election, the Tsai government cannot Contrary to the United States".
Therefore, the green battalion is currently trying to shift the responsibility to the Taiwan military and Ma Ying-jeou, asking the military to admit that Ma's promotion of the recruitment system was a mistake.
Lianhe News.com taunted on the 19th that the current green battalion prefers to shout "value national defense" more than the blue battalion, but once something happens and they rush to protect themselves, the Taiwan military will never be the green battalion's own people, and they will always push out to block bullets.
"China Times" said on the 19th that Ma Ying-jeou's administration implemented the recruitment system in those years because of two major backgrounds: one was the easing of cross-strait relations, and the other was that the service period was only one year, which was equal to training recruits every year, wasting military resources and young people's time. time.
Moreover, Tsai Ing-wen released the "National Defense Blue Book" before running for the election in 2016, expressing her support for the conscription system. Why did she not want to restore the conscription system until the US requested it?
The article stated that the United States wants TSMC to go to the United States to set up a factory, and thousands of engineers and their families go to the United States. Most people in the United States can understand what the United States is planning. The votes responded, that is, the people do not want Taiwan to become a battlefield. "The Democratic Progressive Party, which suffered a disastrous defeat in the election, still can't see where the problem lies?" (Global Times)