'''Military of the Republic of China (Taiwan)'''
|
|---|
'Military manpower'
|
| Military age | 19 years of age
|
Availability
| males age 19-35: 5,883,828 (2005 est.)
|
Fit for military service
| males 4,749,537 (2005 est.)
|
Reaching military age annually
| males: 174,173 (2005 est.)
|
Active troops
| 290,000 (Ranked 17th)
|
Total troops
| 1,965,000 (Ranked 9th)
|
'Military expenditures'
|
| Dollar figure | $8.9 billion (2007)
|
| Percent of GDP | 2.2% (2006)
|
Cited from [1][2]
|
The '
Republic of China' (commonly known as
Taiwan) maintains a large '
military' establishment, which accounted for 16.8 % of the central budget in the
fiscal year of 2003. It is historically continuous with the
Nationalist Army that retreated from
mainland China to Taiwan with the
Kuomintang (KMT) at the end of the
Chinese Civil War, when the mainland was taken over by the
Communist Party of China.
Until the 1970s, the military's primary mission was to retake
mainland China from the Communists.
[3] The military's current foremost mission is the defense of the islands of
Taiwan,
Penghu,
Kinmen,
Matsu against a possible invasion by the
People's Liberation Army of the
People's Republic of China (PRC), which is seen as the predominant threat to the ROC
[ 2004 National Defence White Paper ][ 2004 National Defense Report ] in the ongoing dispute over the
political status of Taiwan.
Personnel
The ROC's armed forces number approximately 300,000, and reserves reportedly total 3,870,000.
Conscription remains universal for qualified males reaching age 18. Force streamlining programs under way since 1997 are combining redundant institutions and steadily reducing the military to 270,000 personnel by 2012. However, even then there would be compulsory basic training for all males reaching 18. As the size of the force decreases, Taipei intends to gradually expand the number of volunteer soldiers with the eventual goal of forming an all volunteer military.
[4]
The ROC military's officer corps is generally viewed as being competent, capable, technically proficient, and generally pro-U.S. in outlook, displaying a high degree of professionalism. However, as a whole, the culture in the officer corps tends to be very cautious and conservative. The military also faces difficulties in the recruitment and retention of junior officers and NCO's due to competition with the private sector.
Morale in the enlisted corps is generally believed to be rather low, due in part to difficulties in retention of experienced NCO's, force reduction, antiquated management and a traditional military culture with very rigid command structures which discourages lower-level risk-taking, and competition with the private sector which is generally viewed as offering better opportunities, especially for the technically savvy.
[5]
Because of the historical legacy having once controlled mainland China, the army has traditionally been the most important of Taiwan's military forces, although this has declined in recent years with the realization that the army's role in defending against a PRC invasion is limited. For the same reason, more emphasis is being placed on the development of the navy and air force.
[6]
Organization
Military branches and structure
The following service commands are directly subordinate to the General Staff, which in turn answers to the Minister of Defense and the ROC President:
★ '
Republic of China Army' (ROCA)
★ '
Republic of China Navy' (ROCN)
★
★ '
Republic of China Marine Corps' (ROCMC)
★ '
Republic of China Air Force' (ROCAF)
★ '
Republic of China Military Police' (ROCMP)
The
Coast Guard Administration was created as a separate branch in 2001 from related police and military units and is administered by the
Executive Yuan.
Reforms and development
Civilian control of the military
Two defense reform laws implemented in 2002 granted the civilian defense minister
control over the entire military and expanded legislative oversight authority for the first time in history.
[7] In the past the ROC military was closely linked with and controlled by the
Kuomintang (Nationalist Party). Following the democratization of the 1990s the military has moved to a politically neutral position, though the senior officer ranks remain dominated by KMT members.
[ Tawian's Foreign and Defense Policies: Features and Determinants, , Michael, Swaine, RAND Corporation, , ISBN 0-8330-3094-9 ]
Arms purchases
Acquisitions over the next several years will emphasize modern C 4 ISR equipment that will vastly improve communications and data-sharing among services. These and other planned acquisitions will gradually shift the island’s strategic emphasis to offshore engagement of invading Chinese forces. It is hoped that this will serve to reduce civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure in the event of armed conflict.
The ROC's armed forces are equipped with weapons obtained primarily from the
United States, examples being 150
F-16A/B Block-20 MLU fighters, 6
E-2 Hawkeyes, licensed produced
''Oliver Hazard Perry''-class frigates, 63
AH-1W attack helos, 39
OH-58D scout helos and 200
Patriot PAC-II SAMs. In 1992 the USA agreed to sell the
AEGIS SPY 1F to Taiwan, to be installed on a special version of the ''Perry''-class frigates. Taiwan later gave up on this plan due to technical difficulties.
[8]
In 2001, the United States authorized the sale of eight diesel submarines (though it is not clear if and how these subs are to be delivered since the United States does not build diesel submarines), 6 Patriot
PAC-3 SAMs and 12
P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft. Taiwan was also offered four
''Kidd''-class destroyers, which are now in service, along with
M109A6 units, two additional E2-C Hawkeyes and nine
Chinook heavy transport helicopters.
In light of the continuous ballistic missile buildup by the PRC, Taipei has also expressed interest in participating in or developing
ballistic missile defense capabilities, possibly in conjunction with the U.S. or
Japan, though it is unclear whether the U.S. would permit such collaboration to take place.
The ROC has also procured two
Zwaardvis MK2 class
submarines from the
Netherlands and 60
Mirage 2000-5Di/Ei fighters from
France together with six French
La Fayette stealth frigates. Taiwan also acquired four minesweepers from Germany.
The military budget for 2007 (passed
16 June) included funds for the procurement of 12
P-3C Orion patrol aircraft, 66
F-16 C/D Block 52 fighters, the upgrade of existing
PAC-2 batteries to
PAC-3 standard and a feasability study into the planned purchase of conventionally- powered submarines offered by the US in 2001.
In July 2007 it was reported that the ROC Army would request the purchase of 30
AH-64D II Apache attack helicopters from in the 2008 defence budget.
[9] The
United Daily News reported that as many as 90
UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters would also be ordered to replace the
UH-1Hs currently in service.
During August, the
Taipei Economic & Cultural Representative Office requested 60
AGM-84L Harpoon Block II missiles, 2 Harpoon guidance control units, 30 Harpoon containers, 30 Harpoon extended air-launch lugs, 50 Harpoon upgrade kits from
AGM-84G to AGM-84L configuration, missile modifications, test equipment and services, spares and repair parts for support equipment, training, publications and technical documents, U.S. Government and contractor technical assistance, and other related elements of logistics and program support. The United States Government responded with notification to the
United States Congress on possible foreign military sale of these weapons. The total value of all options are worth $125 million USD.
[1]
On 14 August, seven lawmakers from Taiwan arrived in the U.S. to conduct a feasibility study for a submarine procurement deal
[2]. The group stated that the visit was to learn about the production capacity of U.S. submarine manufacturers and the attitude of the
U.S. Government towards the deal. They hope to "obtain the best submarines for Taiwan at the most reasonable price." Members of the group include KMT legislators Liao Wan-ju, Shuai Hua-ming and Su Chi, Fu Kun-chi of the opposition
People First Party, Ho Ming-hao of the opposition
Taiwan Solidarity Union and Chang Hua-kuan and Shen Fa-hui of the ruling
Democratic Progressive Party. In addition to visiting
the Pentagon and other related U.S. government agencies, they will also visit four submarine manufacturers. The group travelled to
Washington on Wednesday and visited Boston as well as four arms manufacturers
Lockheed Martin,
Raytheon,
Northrop Grumman and
General Dynamics, before returning to Taiwan on August 24.
The military has also stressed military "self-reliance," which has resulted in the growth of indigenous military production in certain fields most notably Taiwan's
Indigenous Defense Fighter, its
M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) (the
RT-2000) and SAMs like the
Sky Bow I and
II. Taiwan also developed its own
Hsung Feng series of supersonic anti-ship missile.
Taiwan's efforts at arms purchases have consistently been opposed by the
People's Republic of China (PRC).
[10] The PRC has also consistently attempted to block communications between the ROC military and those of other countries.
Doctrine and exercises
The primary goal of the ROC Armed Forces is to provide a credible deterrent against hostile action by establishing effective counterstrike and defense capabilities. Should hostilities occur, current ROC military doctrine centers upon the principle of "offshore engagement" where the primary goal of the armed forces in any conflict with the PRC would be to keep as much of the fighting away from Taiwan proper for as long as possible to minimize damage to infrastructure and civilian casualties. The military has also begun to take the threat of a sudden "decapitation attack" by the PRC seriously. Consequently, these developments have seen a growing emphasis on the role of the Navy and Air Force (where the Army had traditionally dominated); as well as the development of rapid reaction forces and quick mobilization of local reserve forces.
A series of computer simulations conducted by the ROC Ministry of National Defense in 2004 predicted that, in the event of a full scale invasion by the PRC,
Taipei would fall after almost three weeks. It also showed that the ROC Air Force would be eliminated by about the fifth day. However, the simulation results indicate that the PRC would lose about two-thirds of all its military forces in the process. The results of the simulation are hotly debated since they came at a time when the Legislative Yuan was debating one of the largest arms procurement packages in recent years.
[11]
Foreign cooperation
Japan
While some reports have also indicated the presence of retired
Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) personnel as advisors, there is no official cooperation between the ROC military and the JSDF. It is believed that any Japanese involvement in a cross-Straits conflict would be very much contingent upon the US response, due to the
nearest US forces in the region being based in Japan and the
Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan.
Singapore
Starting in 1975,
Singapore has sent units from
its military to train in Taiwan due to the lack of space in the city-state under the Starlight training program (星光計畫). Singapore forces training in Taiwan numbered roughly 3000 as of 2005.
[12]
Singapore being an island surrounded by larger countries found similarity with Taiwan; this might have contributed to its suitability as a training ground. However this became a point of conflict between Singapore and Beijing. Beijing demanded the withdrawal of troops and offered to provide another training ground on Hainan Island. Singapore refused the offer, rather stated it would withdraw its forces and not take part in any confrontation.
United States
Collaboration between the ROC and US militaries began during
World War II when both nations were members of the
Allied forces, and continued through the
Chinese Civil War when ROC forces were supplied primarily by the US until the final evacuation of ROC forces to Taiwan in 1949. Initially the U.S. expected the ROC government to fall and withdrew support until the outbreak of the
Korean War when the U.S. 7th Fleet was ordered to the
Taiwan Straits both to protect Taiwan from a PRC attack, and to stop ROC actions against the PRC.
[6] A formal US-ROC security pact was signed in 1954 establishing a formal alliance that lasted until US recognition of the PRC in 1979.
[14] During this period US military advisors were deployed to the ROC and joint exercises were common. The US and ROC also collaborated on human and electronic intelligence operations directed against the PRC. ROC units also participated in the Korean War and the
Vietnam War in noncombat capacities, primarily at the insistence of the United States which was concerned that high profile roles for ROC forces in these conflicts would lead to full scale PRC intervention.
[ ]
High-level cooperation ended with the US recognition of the PRC in 1979, when all remaining US forces in Taiwan were withdrawn. The US continued to supply the ROC with arms sales per the
Taiwan Relations Act, albeit in a diminished role. While ROCAF pilots continued to train at
Luke AFB in Arizona, cooperation is still limited primarily to civilian contractors.
In recent years, the ROC military has again begun higher level cooperation with the
U.S. Military after over two decades of relative isolation. Senior officers from the
U.S. Pacific Command observed the annual Han Kuang military exercises in 2005. The US also upgraded its military liaison position in Taipei from a position held by retired officers hired on a contractual basis to one held by an active duty officer the same year.
[15] The US remains committed to protecting Taiwan from Chinese attack, though not if Taiwan were to declare formal independence first - Washington has stated it will not back such a declaration with military support.
Military parades
Currently there is news that the ROC is considering staging its first National Day military parade in more than a decade to show off its arms build up. "We may hold a military parade on the National Day... so that the training results of the armed forces could be presented before the eyes of our countrymen," Major General Yu Sy-tue told AFP. The general also stated that the final decision for the parade would be up to parliament speaker Wang Jin-Pyng. If the military parade does go ahead it would be the first since 1991 where thousands of military personnel and cadets marched infront of the Presidential Office for the 80th Anniversary of The Republic Of China. Taipei based Liberty Times stated that fighters would fly by during the celebrations while the other branches of the armed forces would display their tanks, missiles, APCs & other weaponry.
Military ranks
Main articles: Republic of China Armed Forces rank insignia
The ROC military's
rank structure is patterned after that of the
U.S. Armed Forces. Note that the titles of each rank are the same in Chinese for all four military branches. The corresponding titles in English for each service are also provided.
[16]
Major deployments, battles & incidents
ROC on Mainland China (1912-1949)
ROC soldiers marching to the front lines in 1939
★
Northern Expedition: 1926-1928
★
Central Plains War: May 1930 –
November 4,
1930
★ First Communist Insurrection/Purge: 1927-1937
★
★
Nanchang Uprising: 1927
★
★
Autumn Harvest Uprising: 1927
★
★
Xi'an Incident:
December 12,
1936
★
Second Sino-Japanese War/
World War II: 1937-1945
★
★
Marco Polo Bridge Incident:
July 7,
1937
★
★
Battle of Shanghai:
August 13 -
November 9,
1937
★
★
Battle of Nanjing: October-December, 1937
★
★
Battle of Taierzhuang:
March 24 -
April 7,
1938
★
★
First Battle of Changsha:
September 17 -
October 6,
1939
★
★
Second Battle of Changsha:
September 6 -
October 8,
1941
★
★
Third Battle of Changsha:
December 24,
1941 -
January 15,
1942
★
★
Defense of Sichuan: 1942-1943
★
★
Battle of Hengyang-Changsha: June 1944 - April 1945
★
Chinese Civil War: 1946-1950
★
★
New Fourth Army Incident: 1940
★
228 Incident:
February 28 - March 1947
ROC on Taiwan (1949-present)
ROCN honor guard at the Martyr's Shrine in Taipei.
★
Battle of Kuningtou:
October 25 -
October 28,
1949
★
Battle of Denbu Island:
November 3 - 5,
1949
★
First Battle of Dadan island:
July 26,
1950
★
Korean War: 1950-1953, Translators, cross border raids into southwest China from
Burma.
★
Battle of Nanri island:
April 11 - 15,
1952
★
Dongshan Island Campaign:
July 15,
1953
★
First Taiwan Strait Crisis: August 1954 - May 1955
★
★
Battle of Yijiangshan:
January 18,
1955
★
★
Tachen Evacuation: February 7-11, 1955
★
Second Taiwan Strait Crisis:
August 23 - early October 1958
★
★
Second Battle of Dadan island:
August 26, 1958
★
Vietnam War: 1960s, Deployment of small groups of ROC troops disguised as locals, transportation, and technical assistance. Not widely publicized to avoid PRC involvement.
★
Battle of Dong-Yin:
May 1, 1965
★
Battle of Wuchow:
November 13-14,
1965
★
Third Taiwan Strait Crisis:
July 21,
1995 -
March 23,
1996
★
Southeast Asian tsunami relief: January 2005
Nuclear weapons program
The development of
nuclear weapons by the ROC has been a contentious issue, as it has been cited by the PRC as a reason to attack Taiwan. The U.S., hoping to avoid escalating tensions in the
Taiwan Strait, has continually opposed arming the ROC with nuclear weapons. Accordingly, the ROC adheres to the principles of the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty and has stated that it does not intend to produce nuclear weapons. Past nuclear research by the ROC makes it a 'threshold' nuclear state.
In 1967, a nuclear weapons program began under the auspices of the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research (INER) at the
Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology. The ROC was able to acquire nuclear technology from abroad (including a research reactor from
Canada and low-grade
plutonium from the
United States) allegedly for a civilian energy system, but in actuality to develop fuel for nuclear weapons.
[17]
After the
International Atomic Energy Agency found evidence of the ROC's efforts to produce
weapons-grade plutonium, Taipei agreed in September 1976 under U.S. pressure to dismantle its nuclear weapons program. Though the nuclear reactor was soon shut down and the plutonium mostly returned to the U.S., work continued secretly.
A secret program was revealed when Colonel
Chang Hsien-yi, deputy director of nuclear research at INER who was secretly working for the CIA defected to the U.S. in December 1987 and produced a cache of incriminating documents. General
Hau Pei-tsun claimed that scientists in Taiwan had already produced a controlled nuclear reaction. Under pressure from the U.S., the program was halted.
During the
1995-1996 Taiwan Strait crisis, then ROC President
Lee Teng-hui proposed to reactivate the program, but was forced to back down a few days later after drawing intense criticism.
See also
★
National Revolutionary Army
★
Whampoa Military Academy
★
Chiang Kai-shek
★
Sino-German cooperation (1911–1941)
★
Warlord era
★
Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology
★
Military history of China
★
Taiwan and weapons of mass destruction
★
History of the Republic of China
★
People's Liberation Army
★
Military of the People's Republic of China
References
1. Taiwan
2. Next troublesome missile test: Taiwan?
3. Overview - Taiwan Military Agencies
4. Ministry of National Defense - Taiwan Military Agencies
5. The Security Situation in the Taiwan Strait
6.
7. U.S.-Taiwan Defense Relations in the Bush Administration
8. Executive Summary of Report to Congress on implementation of the Taiwan Relations Act
9. Apache helicopter most suited to Taiwan's defence needs: Army
10. China expresses strong indignation for "US-Taiwan defense conference": FM spokesman
11. Dire Strait? Military Aspects of the China-Taiwan Confrontation and Options for U.S. Policy, , David, Shlapak, RAND Corporation, 2000, ISBN 0-8330-2897-9 Example of a simulated wargame of a cross-straits conflict.
12. 「星光」重要性不如以往 ("Starlight" not as important as it once was)
13.
14. Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States of America and the Republic of China
15. Military attache starts work at AIT next month
16. Taiwan
17. Taiwan: A Political History, , Denny, Roy, Cornell University Press, , ISBN 0-8014-8805-2
External links
★
ROC Ministry of National Defense (Traditional Chinese)(English)
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