Taiwan's Marine Corps Prepares for New Conscripts

Taiwan's Marine Corps begins training of 155 new recruits as the one-year mandatory military service comes into effect.

Transcript

00:00 "Go! Go!"

00:01 Ranking up, Taiwan's Marine Corps is processing its first batch of 155 recruits

00:07 since the country reinstated one-year conscription.

00:11 These young men will undergo eight weeks of basic training before becoming Marines.

00:16 "I'm very happy. I will continue to work hard in this area."

00:19 Taiwan extended mandatory military service back in 2022,

00:23 from four months to one year.

00:26 It's part of an effort to strengthen the country's defenses

00:28 amid growing aggression from China,

00:30 which continually threatens to invade Taiwan.

00:34 That's why Taiwan's Marine Corps wants to make sure

00:36 its conscripts get the training they need.

00:39 "We hope to complete the training and assessment successfully."

00:42 "In order to provide better care to our recruits,

00:45 we will consider the same as our starting point,

00:47 and consider the lives of our recruits."

00:51 Taiwan's military says it plans to use conscripts in support roles,

00:55 backing up and supplying front-line professional soldiers.

00:59 But with increasing tensions in the Taiwan Strait,

01:01 ensuring they're well-trained is an absolute necessity.

01:05 Yixin Chen and Bryn Thomas for Taiwan Plus.

01:08 [BLANK_AUDIO]