The recent death of a conscript may not be enough to show the unpopular Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou an early exit but the growing rage and distrust against the government and the military may further cripple the island's already weakening defense capability.

台湾一名士兵不久前死亡的事件可能不足以让不得民心的台湾总统马英九提前下台，但人们对台湾政府和军队日渐高涨的怒火和不信任感可能会进一步损害台湾已经在削弱的防卫能力。

Last Saturday, more than 30,000 people marched in the streets of Taipei protesting against the Ministry of National Defense over a 24-year-old army conscript Hung Chung-chiu who died on July 4. Mr. Hung died after being ordered to perform excessive physical activity as punishment for what his family said was an attempt by his superiors to prevent the corporal from going public on allegedly questionable behavior in his unit. Another massive demonstration is set for next weekend.

7月20日，逾3万人走上台北街头，就24岁士兵洪仲丘7月4日死亡事件向台湾国防部提出抗议。身为陆军下士的洪仲丘因受罚进行过度操练后身亡。他的家人说，洪仲丘的上司惩罚他是为了防止他公开其所在部队据称有问题的行为。本周末还将举行另一次大规模游行示威。

Mr. Hung died 72 hours before his scheduled discharge. He had planned to resume his graduate study at National Chengkung University upon completion of his military obligation, his family said.

洪仲丘在退伍前72小时死亡。他的家人说，他原本计划完成兵役后在台湾成功大学继续攻读研究生。

Suspicion surrounding Hung's treatment before his death stirred up anger against the government, but it was the MND's subsequent inability to provide answers, such as disclosing missing footage of a surveillance camera where Mr. Hung was ordered to perform strenuous exercise before losing consciousness, that really infuriated the public.

围绕洪仲丘死前受到何种对待的怀疑引发了人们对政府的怒火，但台湾国防部在事后未能解答人们的疑惑，比如公开相关监控录像，这才是真正激怒公众的原因。洪仲丘在失去知觉前被下令进行高强度操练的地点的监控录像缺失。

Although President Ma apologized for the death and vowed to mete out 'severe' punishment for the officers involved, Mr. Hung's family has rejected the MND's offer of a NT$100 million compensation and demanded an swift independent probe conducted by a third party.

虽然马英九为死亡事件道歉，并发誓要严惩相关涉事官员，但洪仲丘的家人已经拒绝了台湾国防部提出的新台币1亿元赔偿金，并要求由第三方展开迅速的独立调查。

The death could not have come at a worse time for the Taiwan military, which is already struggling to meet the recruitment quota for the new draft system, as the government has planned to end the compulsory service requirement by end of 2014 .

这起事件的时机对于台湾军方来说实在是太糟糕了，军方已经难以满足新征兵制度的招兵配额，因为台湾政府计划在2014年底结束义务兵役制度。

The ministry's recruitment target for 2013 is 17,447 people, but as of July 3, only 1,847 signed up and 538 are female.

台湾国防部2013年的征兵目标是17,447人，但截至7月3日只有1,847人报名，其中538人为女性。

'The Hung incident is deterring more people from signing up and those who do volunteer, may not be the brightest and most qualified or upstanding to serve,' said Wang Kun-yi, adjunct professor at the Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies, expressing concerns that the 'hooligan' culture in the Taiwan armed forces may get worse.

淡江大学国际事务与战略研究所副教授王昆义说，洪仲丘事件令更多的人打消了报名的念头，而自愿报了名的那些人或许不是最聪明、最符合条件或最正直的人选，并表示担心台湾军队中的“阿飞文化”可能加剧。

In the past, said Mr. Wang, most Taiwanese men and families felt serving in the military was an honorable task because the threats from China seemed real and imminent at the time.

王昆义说，过去，大多数台湾男子和家庭都觉得在军队服役是一项光荣任务，因为当时来自中国大陆的威胁似乎很现实也很紧迫。

However, the ongoing cross-strait detente, combined with the U.S.'s repeated pledge to help maintain peace in the region, the mandatory service program has come to be considered more of a nuisance by many young Taiwanese men who would rather spend 12 months furthering their studies or honing a marketable skill, he added.

不过他补充说，由于台海局势不断缓和，再加上美国一再保证将帮助维护该地区和平，义务兵役制度已经被许多台湾年轻人更多地视为麻烦，他们宁愿把12个月的时间用来进修学业或磨练一项适合市场的技能。

Another challenge faced by Taiwan's military is the island’s ultra-low birth rate in face of an accelerated aging population. The interior ministry estimates, by 2051, Taiwan's above-65 group will rise to 37% of the total population, from 11.2% as of the end of 2012.

台湾军方面临的另一项挑战是，在人口老龄化加速的背景下，台湾极低的出生率。台湾内政部估计，到2051年，台湾65岁以上的人口将占总人口的37%，2012年底这一比例为11.2%。

Taiwan and China had a longstanding tension after the two split amid a 1949 civil war. Although trade links between the two have boomed in recent years, Beijing stands by its intention to reclaim the democratic self-governed island, by force if necessary.

1949年，台湾与中国大陆在内战中分裂，之后双方关系长期紧张。虽然近年来双方贸易联系急速发展，但中国政府坚持其收回台湾的意图，不排除在必要情况下使用武力。

'There are increasing concerns about whether Taiwan’s military is hollowing out with problems in recruitment and retention in trying to shift from conscripts to volunteer personnel by 2015 without sufficient resources and commitment by the leadership,' wrote Shirley Kan, specialist in Asian securities affairs in a Congressional Research Service report released July 23 this year.

美国国会研究服务处(Congressional Research Service)亚洲安全事务专家简淑贤(Shirley Kan)在今年7月23日发布的一份报告中写道，人们越来越担心台湾军队是否正因人员招募和保留方面的种种问题而出现空心化，台湾军队试图在2015年之前从征兵制转为志愿兵制度，但没有足够的资源和领导层的承诺。

A 2011 report by MND states the Chinese People’s Liberation Army has roughly 10 times the number of troops as Taiwan’s armed forces with an “absolute advantage in terms of ballistic missiles and submarines.”

台湾国防部2011年的一份报告说，中国人民解放军的兵员人数差不多是台湾军队的10倍，在弹道导弹和潜艇上也具有绝对优势。

In addition to the difference in manpower, the military budgets of both governments are also greatly imbalanced.

除了人力资源的差异，台湾与中国大陆政府的军事预算也极不平衡。

The MND report said the 2010 defense budget of China was roughly US$78 billion, compared with Taiwan’s US$9 billion.

台湾国防部的报告说，中国大陆2010年国防预算约780亿美元，而台湾为90亿美元。

'Yet, the People's Republic of China's actual military funding is somewhere between two to three times the figure it has disclosed. Therefore, the actual difference in defense budget on the both sides may reach up to 21-fold,' the report stated.

报告说，但中国大陆的实际军事开支约为披露数字的两到三倍。因此双方国防预算的实际差距可能达到21倍。

According to the revised total budget for 2013, the budget for MND is NT$314.50 billion or US$10.52 billion 0.9% down from the previous year.

据修订过的2013年总预算，台湾国防部预算为新台币3,145亿元（105.2亿美元），较上年下降0.9%。

'I will join the military because it is hard to find a good job now the economy is so bad,' said Hu Chien-kang, a college student in Taichung, who plans to sign up for the air force after he graduates in two years.

台中的大学生Hu Chien-kang说，我想加入军队，因为现在经济太不景气，很难找到好工作。他打算两年后毕业时报名参加空军。

'But is my true intention to defend my country? Not really!' he said.

他说：但我真的是想保卫自己的国家吗？不完全是。