Everything about Military Of The Republic Of China totally explained
The
Republic of China (commonly known as Taiwan) maintains a large and technologically advanced
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 by destroying the
Communist Party of China. 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 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, Taiwan intends to gradually expand the number of volunteer soldiers with the eventual goal of forming an all volunteer career soldiers.
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 claimed by the People's Republic of China to be rather low, due in part to difficulties in retention of experienced NCO's, shorter service time and a traditional military culture 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.
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 traditional army's role in defending against a PRC invasion is limited. As a result, recent force modernization programs have resulted in the reorganization of the Army into smaller units as a quick deployment mobile troops. For the same reason, more emphasis is being placed on the development of the Navy and Air Force, in order to fend off attacks in the Taiwan Strait, away from Taiwan proper.
Organization
Military branches and structure
The following service commands are directly subordinate to the General Staff, headed by the
Chief of the General Staff, which answers to the Minister of Defense and the ROC President:
The ROC has also procured two
Hai Lung class class
submarines from the
Netherlands and 60
Mirage 2000-5Di/Ei fighters from
France together with six French
La Fayette stealth frigates. Taiwan also has four German made minesweepers.
In 2001, the United States approved the sale of a number of weapons systems, including the sale of eight diesel submarines, six Patriot
PAC-3 SAMs and 12
P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft. Out of the items authorised, Taiwan currently has four
Kidd-class destroyers,
M109A6 units, two additional E2-C Hawkeyes and nine
Chinook heavy transport helicopters in service.
In light of the continuous ballistic missile buildup by the PRC, Taiwan has also demonstrated the capability of long range supersonic cruise missiles.
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 feasibility study into the planned purchase of conventionally-powered submarines offered by the US way back 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. 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, Taiwan 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 and other related elements of logistics and program support, the total value being $125 million. The United States government indicated its approval of the order with notification to the
United States Congress of the potential sale.
On 14 August, seven lawmakers from Taiwan arrived in the U.S. to conduct a feasibility study for a submarine procurement deal. 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 hoped to "obtain the best submarines for Taiwan at the most reasonable price." Members of the group included legislators from the ruling
Democratic Progressive Party and the opposition KMT,
People First Party and
Taiwan Solidarity Union. In addition to visiting
the Pentagon and other related U.S. government agencies, they also visited four submarine manufacturers. The group travelled to
Washington, D.C. and Boston, and to four arms manufacturers
Lockheed Martin,
Raytheon,
Northrop Grumman and
General Dynamics.
In mid September 2007, the Pentagon notified the U.S. Congress of P-3C Orion order, which included 12 Orions and three "spare aircraft", along with an order for 144 SM-2 Block IIIA missiles. The total value of the 12 P-3C Orions were estimated at around $1.96 billion and $272 million for the 144 SM-2 missiles.
In mid November 2007, the Pentagon notified the US Congress about a possible sale to upgrade Taiwan's Patriot missile batteries to the PAC-3 standard. The total value of the upgrade could be as much as $939 million.
The military has also stressed military "self-reliance," which has led to the growth of indigenous military production, producing items such as Taiwan's
Indigenous Defense Fighter, the
RT-2000 M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System, the
Sky Bow I and
Sky Bow II SAMs and
Hsung Feng series of supersonic anti-ship missiles. The PRC has also consistently attempted to block co-operation between the ROC military and those of other countries.
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. 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.
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.
Foreign cooperation
Japan
While some reports have also indicated the presence of retired
Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) personnel as advisors, there's 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 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. A formal US-ROC security pact was signed in 1954 establishing a formal alliance that lasted until US recognition of the PRC in 1979. 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. The US remains committed to protecting Taiwan from PRC attack, though not if Taiwan were to declare formal independence first - Washington has stated it won't back such a declaration with military support.
Military parades
The Republic of China held their first military parade on
10 October 2007 for National Day celebrations since 1991. Previously parades weren't held as the government tried to ease the tension between Taiwan and the PRC and to try and promote peace, however ever since the military balance started to favour Beijing, the Taiwanese government has been under pressure to deter Communist China. The military parade was designed to act as a deterrent to Beijing. "The display of military equipment is a kind of effective deterrent, so that the Chinese communists would be aware that Taiwan is tough,".
The parade unveiled Taiwan's new indigenous
Hsiung Feng III Supersonic Anti-Ship missiles,
Sky Bow III Surface to Air missiles and a few of Taiwan's very own
Chung Shyang II UAVs. However the expected unveiling of the
Hsiung Feng IIE surface to surface missile which could hit Shanghai wasn't unveiled as the defence minister stated that it was still under development. Military aircraft including the US made
F-16 A/Bs &
F-5s, French produced
Mirage 2000-5s and domestically made
IDFs flew past the parade area in formation. US made
AH-1W Super Cobras,
CH-47 Chinooks,
UH-1 &
S-70C Helicopters and
E-2 Hawkeye version "K",
S-2 Tracker &
C-130 Hercules aircraft also flew past. Cadets then filled the main area, and performed various march formation and tricks with their rifles. Military police then drove out in style with their Harley-Davidson bikes numbering in total of around 50. The new
CM-32 APCs,
AAVP7 Amphibious Assault Vehicles,
HUMVEEs fitted with
BGM-71 TOW 2nd generation anti-tank missiles and
FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missiles,
Avengers anti-air vehicles,
M48 Chaparral anti-air vehicles fitted with
Sky Sword I missiles and other various vehicles were driven out in order.
Sky Bow I,
Sky Bow II &
Sky Bow III missiles,
PATRIOT missiles and
Hsiung Feng II &
Hsiung Feng III missiles with their launchers were droven out and showcased in front of the large crowd. Meanwhile, Taiwanese marines, army special forces and counter terrorist units were driven out in vehicles with various new weaponry including the home made
T-91 rifle, customised
M4A1s and
M16s with attachments and the newly purchased
MP5s.
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Military ranks
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.
Major deployments, battles & incidents
ROC on Mainland China (1912-1949)
Northern Expedition: 1926-1928
Central Plains War: May 1930 – November 4, 1930
First Communist Insurrection/Purge: 1927-1937
Second Sino-Japanese War/World War II: 1937-1945
Chinese Civil War: 1946-1950
228 Incident: February 28 - March 1947
ROC on Taiwan (1949-present)
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
Second Taiwan Strait Crisis: August 23 - early October 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.
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.
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