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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 ROC45 in the ongoing dispute over the Political Status Of Taiwan . PERSONNEL See Also: Conscription in the Republic of China 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.6 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.7 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.8 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:
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.9 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. 10 Arms purchases ''Kang Ding''-class (''Lafayette''-class) frigate with S-70C helicopter]] 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 Hawkeye s, licensed produced ''Oliver Hazard Perry''-class Frigate s, 63 AH-1W Attack Helos , 39 OH-58D Scout Helos and 200 Patriot PAC-II SAM s. 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.11 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 Destroyer s, 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.12 The United Daily News reported that as many as 90 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters would also be ordered to replace the UH-1H s 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. {Link without Title} On 14 August, seven lawmakers from Taiwan arrived in the U.S. to conduct a feasibility study for a submarine procurement deal {Link without Title} . 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).13 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. 14 Example of a simulated wargame of a cross-straits conflict. 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 |
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