National Defense
Domestically designed and produced Ching-kuo Indigenous Defense Fighters safeguard Taiwan's airspace. (Courtesy of Military News Agency)
Strategic Importance
Taiwan is located between Japan and the Philippines at the center of the nearest chain of archipelagos to the coast of the East Asian continental mainland and sits astride two of the region’s most important sea traffic channels, the Taiwan Strait and the Bashi Channel. The island therefore is key to world maritime geo-strategy and pivotal to stability in the Asia-Pacific. Taiwan aims to take advantage of this strategic importance to cooperate with neighboring countries to prevent regional conflicts and pursue mutual economic prosperity.
Military Threat
Sovereignty disputes between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have persisted since 1949, when the government of the Republic of China (ROC) moved from mainland China to Taiwan and the Chinese Communist Party established its government in Beijing.
Despite the easing of tensions following cross-strait economic talks and various forms of cooperation in recent years, Beijing still constitutes a major military threat to the ROC’s national security. It has not renounced the use of force to settle sovereignty disputes; in 2005, it even enacted the so-called Anti-Secession Law in an attempt to give itself a legal basis to settle the sovereignty issue through non-peaceful means.
Mainland China’s military buildup has continued unabated and poses an imminent threat against the ROC. Over 1,300 of its ballistic and cruise missiles are targeted at Taiwan. Hundreds of combat aircraft and warships are routinely deployed along the southeastern coast of mainland China, directly facing the Taiwan Strait. Espionage is also ceaselessly employed against Taiwan through human intelligence and technical means.
Defense Posture
The ROC Armed Forces maintain strong capabilities as a credible deterrent to defend Taiwan’s democratic society from aggression and to promote peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific. To that end, the ROC government is committed to upgrading the nation’s defense capabilities in a timely manner. It does soby making essential purchases of military hardware and by enhancing the nation’s self-reliance indefense-related research and development (R&D) and manufacturing.
International security cooperation is alsoan important aspect of ROC defense policy. Forms of collaboration include technical exchanges, sharing of intelligence, training of foreign military personnel in Taiwan and training of ROC military personnel in other countries.
National Defense Reports
In compliance with the National Defense Act 國防法, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) annually publishes the Report on Mainland China’s Military Forces 中共軍力報告書, Five-year Force Construction Plan of the ROC Armed Forces 中華民國五年兵力整建 and Administration Plan 施政計畫報告. The MND submits these three documents, together with its budget proposals, to the Legislative Yuan (Legislature) 立法院 for review. The MND also publishes the National Defense Report (NDR) 國防報告書 biennially and submits a Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) 四年期國防總檢討 to the Legislature within 10 months after each presidential inauguration to inform the public of the government’s defense policies. The latest QDR was published in March 2013, and the latest NDR was released in October of the same year.
Command Structure
As stipulated by the ROC Constitution and the National Defense Act, the president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, empowered to give direct orders to the minister of national defense. The defense minister, in turn, gives orders to the chief of the general staff 參謀總長 for execution.
The president also serves as the chairman of the National Security Council (NSC) 國家安全會議. The NSC is mandated to make recommendations for the president’s reference in decision-making on matters critical to the national interests. The NSC members include the vice president, premier, heads of key ministries, chief of the general staff, NSC secretary-general and director-general of the National Security Bureau 國家安全局, which is under the NSC.
For most administrative matters in peacetime, the MND makes recommendations to the Executive Yuan 行政院—headed by the Premier—which finalizes decisions and supervises policy implementation. The Legislative Yuan is empowered to request MND officials to attend committees and plenary sessions, and it can also influence defense policies by modifying the Cabinet’s budget proposals.
Armed Forces
The Armed Forces are scheduled to be streamlined from 275,000 members to 215,000 by the end of 2014. The nation’s defense budget for that year was NT$311.10 billion (US$10.25 billion), 16.24 percent of the general budget of the ROC central government.
The Army is an agile land-based defense force and safeguards areas of strategic importance. The Navy conducts maritime patrols to maintain security in the ROC’s territorial waters. It also coordinates with the Army and the Air Force to counter enemy maritime blockades or attacks to secure Taiwan’s sea lines of communication. The Air Force’s primary mission is to safeguard the nation’s airspace and provide early warning and aerial surveillance. These branches have bases around Taiwan and on offshore islands.
Additional units of the Armed Forces that play combat roles include the Air Defense Missile Command 防空飛彈指揮部 and the Information and Electronic Warfare Command 資電作戰指揮部 of the General Staff Headquarters 國防部參謀本部. Other military organizations that play essential support roles include the Army Logistics Command 陸軍後勤指揮部, the Reserve Command 後備指揮部 and the Military Police Command 憲兵指揮部.
While the Armed Forces’ primary mission is to protect the nation from external aggression, another role entrusted to them, pursuant to amendments to the Disaster Prevention and Protection Act 災害防救法enacted in August 2010, is to perform rapid-response rescue and relief operations in times of natural disaster.
Weapon System Upgrades
Since the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou 馬英九 took office in May 2008, the U.S. government hasapproved sales of weapons worth about US$6.4 billion in 2008 and 2010 and sales worth over US$5.8 billion in 2011 to update the ROC’s defensive capabilities. The latter package covers the upgrading of the ROC Air Force’s F-16A/B retrofit program, including pilot training and the sale of spare parts. The ROC will continue to obtain advanced weapon systems from the U.S. and other countries to maintain the military balance across the Taiwan Strait.
Defense Industry
Defense procurement is being conducted in tandem with development of the domestic defense industry. The National Defense Act mandates that priority be given to acquisition of domestically manufactured equipment. It further requires that, insofar as possible, procurements from abroad be tied to technology transfers. Domestic defense-related enterprises and institutions have a high degree of technological sophistication in the areas of aviation, missilery, electronics and materials technologies.
The National Chung-shan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST) 國家中山科學研究院 is Taiwan’s leading institution for defense R&D, engaging in the development, management and integration of advanced weapon systems. Among those that have been deployed are Sky Bow I and II surface-to-air missiles 天弓飛彈, Sky Sword I and II air-to-air missiles 天劍飛彈 and Hsiung Feng I, II and III anti-ship missiles 雄風反艦飛彈. The CSIST’s unmanned aerial vehicles saw their first service in 2012.
The state-owned Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC) 漢翔航空工業股份有限公司 is internationally recognized as a top-quality manufacturer and is highly regarded for its R&D in the field of aviation. It designed and produced the Ching-kuo Indigenous Defense Fighter 經國號戰鬥機, which has been one of the mainstays of the ROC Air Force's fleet since the late 1990s, as well as other fighter jets. Prior to the development of the Ching-kuo fighter, the AIDC coproduced the F-5E/F Tiger II with U.S.-based Northrop Grumman Corp. In addition to its military businesses, currently the AIDC is collaborating with Boeing, Airbus and other global major aircraft manufacturers on civilian aircraft.
Personnel and Service System
There are two categories of national defense personnel: civilian and military. Civilian personnel are recruited through national examinations and a more flexible open selection process, while military personnel are inducted through conscription or voluntary examination and recruitment.
Currently, all healthy male citizens of the ROC who satisfy the Armed Forces’ physical fitness standards are obligated to complete a term of military service at the earliest available opportunity between January 1 of the year after the calendar year in which they turn 18 years old and December 31 of the year of their 36th birthday. Senior high school, vocational school and university students can defer military service until graduation.
At present, all draftees are eligible to apply for substitute service positions in lieu of military service, as provided for in the Enforcement Statute for Substitute Services 替代役實施條例 of 2007. Following a short period of basic military training, those admitted to the program are placed in positions according to their interests and skills.
Substitute service falls into two categories: general and R&D. Draftees who opt for general substitute service can serve in a wide variety of positions, including security guard, firefighter, social worker, medical personnel and overseas humanitarian project worker. Draftees performing R&D substitute service must have at least a master’s degree and have to work for three years at Ministry of the Interior-approved government institutions, public or private research centers or universities.
Since 2008, the period of compulsory military service of draftees who were born before 1993 has been 12 months. Beginning in 2013, male citizens born in or after 1994 are only required to receive four months’ basic military training and then become reserve forces.
In order to build a modern armed force, the MND is seeking to increase the number of volunteer personnel year by year with the goal of having an all-volunteer military by the end of 2016. Additional salary, benefit, recruitment and retention measures are planned to further encourage enlistment and long-term service.
Military Education
There are separate education systems for commissioned and noncommissioned officers. Students who receive undergraduate degrees from college-level academies are on track to become the former, while those who wish to begin active service after graduating from senior high school-level academies become the latter. Education for commissioned officers is categorized into three different levels—basic, intermediate, and advanced—with qualification depending on one’s rank.
Throughout their careers, ROC professional soldiers are provided with abundant opportunities—and, in some instances, are required—to undergo supplementary in-service education and training to hone their skills and leadership capabilities.
The MND is striving to improve the military education system and prepares selected officers from each service to study abroad at strategy institutes, staff and command colleges, and various think tanks around the world. National Defense University 國防大學 also designs and provides diversified classes on strategic planning, operations, command and disaster relief in order to enhance future commanders’ capabilities.
Homeland Security
In addition to combat preparedness, the ROC government attaches great importance to other aspects of homeland security. These include preventing terrorist attacks; gathering and sharing intelligence with friendly nations; managing the country’s borders; protecting critical infrastructure; maintaining operations of essential public- and private-sector functions in times of crisis; safeguarding cyber security; and assisting in emergency response and management.
A series of air-raid practice and disaster shelter drills (the All-out Defense Mobilization exercises 萬安演習) have been held annually for over three decades to buttress the abilities of local governments to coordinate with the military not only in times of war but also in the event of a natural disaster, nuclear accident or any other incident impacting citizens’ security. The Han Kuang exercise 漢光演習, a military exercise which includes live-fire military exercises and computer-simulated war games, is held annually to enhance training for joint operations among the three branches of the Armed Forces and raise their overall fighting capabilities and preparedness.
The Armed Forces closely cooperate with the Executive Yuan’s Office of Disaster Management 行政院災害防救辦公室. The Executive Yuan’s Office of Homeland Security 行政院國土安全辦公室 works to integrate domestic emergency response mechanisms such as communicable disease control and counterterrorism measures. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard Administration 行政院海岸巡防署, which is independent of the Armed Forces, is implementing the An Hai Project 安海專案 to crack down on the smuggling of goods and trafficking of arms, drugs and persons.
Related websites
• Ministry of National Defense: http://www.mnd.gov.tw
• National Security Bureau:http://www.nsb.gov.tw
• Chung-shan Institute of Science and Technology: http://cs.mnd.gov.tw
• Aerospace Industrial Development Corp.: http://www.aidc.com.tw
• Coast Guard Administration: http://www.cga.gov.tw
