President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of November 30, 2015 with a delegation led by the national commander of The American Legion. In addition to expressing his high regard for Taiwan's retired service personnel, the president also briefed his visitors on the measures taken by his administration in an active effort to reform the military service system.
President Ma stated in remarks that The American Legion has the largest membership of any veterans' organization in the US. Including the American Legion Auxiliary and the Sons of The American Legion, worldwide membership currently exceeds 2.4 million, said the president, adding that the organization's 49th chapter is in Taipei. The American Legion also invites representatives from the ROC's Veterans Affairs Council to attend its national convention each year in August, which is testament to the close friendship between the two sides.
The president noted that the Taiwan and the US governments take a similar approach in caring for military veterans. This year the US government budgeted US$163.9 billion for healthcare, benefits, and burials and memorials for the country's approximately 22 million veterans. And to provide for its over 405,000 veterans, the Taiwan government budgets more than US$4 billion each year to provide educational, career, medical, and long-term care services. This shows that the governments of Taiwan and the US recognize and value their retired military personnel.
President Ma mentioned that since taking office in 2008 his administration has embraced the principle of "low key, no surprises" to promote the development of Taiwan-US relations, thus enhancing the breadth and depth of cooperation between the two countries in many areas. And bilateral relations are now the best they have ever been in the 36 years since the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) was enacted. As for bilateral cooperation in the area of security, the president said that major arms sales to Taiwan by the US have reached US$18.3 billion over the past seven years, the highest total in the past 20 years. In terms of economic cooperation, Taiwan is the tenth largest trading partner of the US, while the US is Taiwan's second largest. All of this points to the close relations between the two countries.
The president then mentioned that the ROC government is actively seeking to participate in the second round negotiations of the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). He called on The American Legion to provide assistance in this regard and help Taiwan join this regional economic integration agreement.
Commenting on the subject of self-sufficiency in national defense, President Ma indicated that the government continues to conduct its own research and development on advanced indigenous armaments. This has led to the deployment of weapons like the Panshi Fast Combat Support Ship, the Clouded Leopard armored vehicle, and the Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile. The government is also implementing a program to produce locally made submarines through a combination of indigenous production and international cooperation. In addition, acting in line with the principles of "innovation and asymmetry," the armed forces are actively implementing a volunteer military service system. More than 15,000 recruits voluntarily enlisted in 2014, which was 42% above the recruitment target of approximately 10,500. A recruitment target of 14,000 was adopted for 2015, but more than 30,000 people have applied, and more than 16,000 (18% above target) have been accepted. The retention rate among active personnel has also risen to 71%, up significantly from the original retention rate of 42% when the voluntary military service system was first adopted.
President Ma further explained that the ROC's voluntary military service system differs somewhat from that of the US. In Taiwan, males of military age are still required to undergo four months of military training, and our armed forces periodically call up military-age males for training to get them in good physical condition. For the families of service members, said the president, this approach creates a sense of connection with the armed forces, which is an important means of generating support for the nation's military.
President Ma stated that the government has taken numerous measures in recent years to provide a variety of services to both active and discharged personnel. These services have met with a very positive response and contributed to the success of the voluntary military service system. The president also expressed hope for continued interaction with The American Legion in order to further improve Taiwan's support of its retired service personnel.
The delegation included American Legion National Commander Dale Barnett and Mrs. Barnett, and American Legion Auxiliary National President Sharon Conatser and her husband.