Taiwanese military struggling to find enough volunteers even as spending rises

The trend has raised concerns that the shortfall could undermine combat readiness even as the government plans record levels of defence spending in response to US lobbying and the growing strength of mainland China’s military.

According to a recent report by the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Centre, the overall personnel fill rate – the ratio between authorised and actual troop numbers – fell from 88.6 per cent in 2020 to 78.6 per cent in 2024. By June this had dropped further to 75.6 per cent, the lowest in recent years.

In its recent review of the military’s 2026 budget plan, the centre warned that although defence spending was set to hit a new high next year, allowing the armed forces to buy more weapons, “advanced weaponry can only deliver expected effectiveness when operated by well-trained personnel”.

But the report noted: “The voluntary force’s fill rate has kept falling, and many frontline units receiving combat-duty pay still remain below 80 per cent staffing.”