President Ma Ying-jeou has promised that the Marine Corps will not be scrapped in the government’s next military streamlining plan. Ma made the comments on Friday on a visit to a Marine Corps training base in southern Taiwan.
The government is planning to cut the number of troops from approximately 220,000 to somewhere between 170,000 and 190,000. The ultimate goal is to shift from a conscript-based military to an all-volunteer military. There have been rumors that the Marine Corps will be integrated into the army under the plan.
President Ma said that he has served in the Marine Corps and that he is proud to be one of the Marines. He said the Marine Corps has accomplished many feats ever since it was founded in 1947. Ma said that Taiwan needs to maintain a sufficient level of defense, so the Marine Corps will not be scrapped.
Under the five-year restructuring program, the military will undergo structural adjustments each year through 2019 in keeping with the global downsizing trend. Starting in 2017, the military will only need to recruit some 7,000 soldiers each year to meet defense needs.