"The underground indie alternative plan of the Chinese army’
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Taiwan should acquire an aircraft carrier since China has some.
Taiwan is an aircraft carrier.
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Not to denigrate your humor, but that was an accidental click of the like button. 
I’m going to be honest…I think i may be the only active member here who’s served in the military here? My experience with high ranking officers and even soldiers here…90% of them are not combat ready. I was based in Hsinchu, which is in the western side where the PLA would go after if they take all the islands before it. And Taiwan is fucked if they get that far. Besides the captain, almost everyone looks like they would surrender right away.
The base is pretty much a front…they have a bunch of tanks, and a nice armory that I got a peak at…but not many people who can probably use the weapons and only like 5 guys on base knew how to operate a tank…I would be more scared of friendly fire than the PLA shooting me. I think i’ve fired more rounds than the entire base of soilders combined.
I was told soldiers in the islands like kinmen are better trained. But so far, i’m a little bit worried seeing the state of at least the army here. Don’t know much about the navy, air force or marines.
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Am from military family, and i am very proud of it. I served as well, and being only man in my family without fighting experience. My folks paid blood for independence and freedom. My father, both of cousins were heavy wounded. Uncle fall. Even far relatives from Australia came to fight. No one thought oh america will do our jobs.
Anyway i never understand taiwanese and their hate for own military. I know like 10 young taiwanese and all of em avoid serving military. When i ask who will defend your country, they ignored me. Most of them joined sunflower demonstrations. One of the reason why we went back to europe with my wife, is i do not wanna have son in this environment. Being scared and totally uninterested in military, military technology, brotherhood, sport outdoor… Come on, like there is not more to life than being geek and earning money.
Father was shocked at marriage party when asked my brother in law when he will serve. Dude just responsed he served civil. Lol father comments what wrong with him, if he is dissables somehow or what. Later found out none of wife cousins served. He asked me what kind of family is this, i just response typically taiwanese. He lost a lot of respect for taiwanese than. He came wit idea, he will found breave taiwanese resisting communism lol.
Really funny, never met a guy, who is into military, never met neither one, who wanna start own company, business. Am talking young guys like 20 to 25. What will be from rock longterm?
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Project 2049 Think tank has acess at the highest levels of the Taiwan government, regularly visits Taiwan, and even holds conferences when they’re in Taiwan. It just had one within the last two months.
Some of the people there are ex US military and ex US government other who have been working with Taiwan over 20 years.
So anything they say, will have some legitimacy even if one particular guy is just trying to get some attention.
The Mainland government has been issuing 台胞證 to “whities” without any problem. I do not see why the treatment of nationals of non-Chinese ethnicity should change when Taiwan comes under Mainland administration. For all practical purposes, the Mainland government treats administrative acts of Taiwan authorities as legitimate and valid, case in point would be marriages and household registration.
Yes, but was the same thing not true of the relationship with colonial HK?
Ah, this makes the rounds in the media from time to time. It is kind of a foregone conclusion, no? If China really wanted Taiwan, it could take it. Maybe take a day, or a week at most, but it could take it. It would be probably be a little bloody, at least for the politicos. All the DPP would be arrested, some KMT as well. Tsai would most likely be executed. And you know who would come to Taiwan’s aid, or who would speak up for her? No one. Hey, gotta have the new iPhone out in time for the holidays! For all his talk against Beijing, that would really embarrass 45, wouldn’t it?
What, realistically, could anyone do? 45 is too preoccupied with NK and “fake news” to give two flipping shits about it. Seriously. The American public do not want and probably would not support a war with China over Taiwan, if at all. Again, 45 and his spawn’s clothing lines won’t make themselves!
China knows 45 will not do anything about Lil’ Kim. Pretty much for the same reason. If Washington moves on Pyongyang, then Beijing moves on Taipei. Since the enemy is preoccupied, may as well settle some scores. Either way, 45 will be embarrassed by some nemesis in Asia.
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Most of this stuff isn’t new at all. (1) It’s been known that the PRC wants to annex Taiwan. I mean why wouldn’t they. (2) It is generally the norm that militarily powerful states have battle plans for a variety of situations, and constantly update them so they are ready when disaster (or opportunity) strikes. The US, for example, has battle plans to invade every country on the planet, including its allies. However, having battle plans doesn’t mean war is likely, just that one is prepared for anything.
What the book does reveal, however, is how important the Taiwan situation is for the region, and even the US. It points out that Taiwan’s capability to repel invasion is strong, and that US support is not likely to wane. We can conclude that all is well, or at least until the PRC thinks it can get away with a small conventional conflict without receiving nuclear retaliation.
Taiwanese army is rife with corruption and standing up to such corruption is deadly. Worse than the police, which is in the mafia’s pocket. There are the big hongbaos in arms sales, intermediary’s bonus and all the way to book cooking from spuds to bullets. The generals cannot wait to retire to China and start second carrers as advisors. That and the fact that chabuduo mentality helps in many accidents, mostly fatal. That is why many Taiwanese since the 80s started fleeing the country rather than serving. The death rate at some points went beyond ridiculous. Lately, there was a big backlash since the murder of private Hong. In summary, serving lately in the military has brought no honor and yes a lot of pain to many families. Hence, the forces are demoralized, badly trained and can’t get people to draft let alone join voluntarily.
Add the perks the military has, double dipping by higher ranks and resentment grows.
Moreover, since they came up with alternative service, the guanxi line has become too evident, making people even more resentful. If you are well connected, you serve as tour guide in the NPM. If not, your request is not only denied but you get sent to Kinmen.
Well explained. I allways feel there is a problem on taiwanese side, why usa military, politics is not more commit to defense of island. I mean who gonna invest in military, generals, officials, when they are not reliable. Better to sell em old technology. Selling best equipment to taiwan is like making security hole, cause soon or later china will get infos.
Yea taiwanese military is corrupted no doubt, but i mean old members will be retired/dead soon anyway. What about young generation, new generation of officers. Are not they more pro taiwan. Or is it just cultural. Money first.
Even military is corrupted, with low moral, is not like job market is prosperious neither. Probably with benefits like social plan, military should be better life decisions for many taiwanese or not?
Nothing will happen.
Taiwan was sold the best F-16s new at that time, even better than the USA. Taiwan was sold the best long range radar, better than any other in the world. Taiwan’s new F-16 radar is the only one available anywhere in the world. Its phenomenal and a game changer.
Taiwan is not receiving old shit. They are getting the best available.
If you think otherwise, then you don’t understand.
I would call submarines game changer.
They are making their own submarines.
They also make their own missiles.and drones.and some.of.the ships and planes too.
Taiwan just needs a defensive capability, robot subs and drones and stacks of missiles can keep enemy forces off the island for sometime.
Agreed the land army component isn’t very useful and resource should be switched .
I guess not a lot of information is passed on to the general public about enlisting. Unlike say the US, taiwan doesn’t spend much money on PR and trying to get people to enlist in like ADs of patriotism. Recruitment is all pretty much done while you’re a conscript. They gave us all the information and had recruiters come talk to us. Some people enlisted while I was serving.
The benefits are actually not bad for many Taiwanese. The salary is better than most jobs people will get. They will even help you pay for school to become an officer and get a salary bump. You actually get a nice bump with every promotion and a bonus in certain places almost double if you go to kinmen and other island like that. You get a lot of benefits like utilities paid for, housing money, your kids go to college on benefits etc. it’s certainly enough for many to sign up. I’m guessing most of you guys and the people who @D-nice talked to are from cities like taipei? You’re not going to get many young taipei people that want to join. Taiper people are just used to a different life than most young people in other parts of Taiwan which is what I saw almost all of the enlisted men are from. Mostly down south. Taiwan’s military is still really heavily base on volunteers who enlisted. Conscripts are useless in real war situations. They don’t give us much training and it’s a huge waste of the countys resources. Either really train conscripts or just end it. It used to make sense years ago when taiwan and china was on the brink of war at all times. Now not so much.
Also, they did really ramp up anti bullying or whatever you call it. So much so I think it doesn’t help. Officers and NCOs are really afraid to do something that might injure you. There’s numbers to call to complaint everywhere on base. At every urinal in fact. Suicide prevention hotlines and everything all over the base. You can’t not see it every time you take a piss. If they punish you even in the smallest way like make you stand and face the wall they actually have to file a report.
I wrote about my time as a conscript @D-nice if you wonder why people don’t want to do conscription. It’s really a huge waste of your time. 12 days a conscript
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Do they still advertise it as the “Chinese Army” in big letters? I remember seeing that sign (in English) when I walked by a recruitment center in Taipei, but I kind of think they took it down. I wonder if they hired an expensive consultant or something… 
They say ROC army now. Not Chinese army.
In my fathers generation it used to be more patriotic for sons of family to go into conscription. Families used to gather and have banners and stuff sending the men off at the train station. It used to be a big deal. People took it more serious then and conscripts were more trained and was there for 2 years. They really counted on them in the case of war defending taiwan. Now people just see it as a waste of time.