Taiwan is raising military pay again, with a new monthly bonus for support troops — good news for soldiers and for recruitment, and a sign Taipei keeps spending on defense readiness.

• A new "third type" combat unit bonus adds about NT$4,000 a month for troops below brigade level who keep fighting units supplied and running.
• It covers battlefield medics, ammunition and fuel handling, transport, chemical and engineer units, weapons repair, battlefield intelligence, psychological warfare, and military police guarding key infrastructure.
• The announcement came at the Ching Chuan Kang base during this year's Han Kuang war games, tying pay to combat readiness.
• Conscripts in combat units now get the same combat pay as volunteer soldiers, and drone units were folded into combat pay earlier this year.
• Military, civil servants and teachers also got a raise in professional and supervisory allowances, with another 4% pay bump due in January.

Outlook: Expect more pay sweeteners as Taiwan tries to fill its ranks and hold onto trained troops amid pressure from China.