Taipei:The Ministry of National Defense (MND) in Taiwan has proposed eliminating the maximum service length for Air Force pilots in response to a shortage of experienced personnel, a situation exacerbated by many pilots leaving for civilian airline jobs.

According to Focus Taiwan, the MND submitted this proposal to the Executive Yuan, Taiwan's Cabinet, last month and is currently awaiting approval. The proposal aims to address defense needs by removing service caps for selected experienced pilots.

Should the Cabinet approve the proposal, it would enable the MND to retain 72 pilots, holding ranks of lieutenant colonel or colonel, beyond the existing limits. Under the current Act of Military Service for Officers and Non-commissioned Officers of the Armed Forces, lieutenant colonels can serve up to 26 years, and colonels up to 30 years, which typically requires them to retire at ages 48 and 52, respectively.

This existing framework has led many Air Force pilots to leave military service early to pursue careers with civilian airlines, where they can work until the age of 65 and earn significantly higher salaries.