ABSTRACT
Along with Taiwanese rights activists and civil society organizations focusing on military personnel's rights, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) frequently dramatized any military incidents and made critical remarks on the military's discipline, training, and military readiness for its electoral advantages prior to the 2016 presidential election. What has the Tsai government done since 2016 to solicit the military's loyalty and solidify its control to ensure the military's accommodation to the DPP's aspiration for Taiwan's independence? Through the investigation of the issue of military pension reform, the transition to an all-voluntary force, military buildup, and civil–military elite interactions, this study aims to explore the DPP's political cost of pushing forward its reform agendas, the implications of the civilianization of the military, and the impact of identity polarization on military performance.
