National Defense: Current Defense Policy

As introduced by the Yearbook of the Republic of China:

National Defense in Taiwan

The objective of the nation's armed forces is to defend the territory of the Republic of China (including the islands of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu). This requires maintaining a sufficient self-defense capability to safeguard the nation and protect its people. The direct and most serious threat to the ROC's national security is Beijing's refusal to renounce the use of military force against Taiwan. Thus, while the ROC's national defense strategy requires the balanced development of the three armed forces, naval and air supremacy receive first priority.

In addition to current defensive preparations, the long-term policy requires developing an elite fighting force and self-sufficiency in defense technology through restructuring the armed forces, streamlining command levels, renovating logistical systems, merging or reassigning military schools and high-ranking staff units, and reducing the total number of personnel.

Current Defense Policy

Regarding national defense, the Constitution of the Republic of China states:

Article 137. The national defense of the Republic of China shall have as its objective the safeguarding of national security and the preservation of world peace.

The organization of national defense shall be prescribed by law.

Article 138. The land, sea, and air forces of the whole country shall be above personal, regional, and party affiliations, shall be loyal to the state and shall protect the people.

Article 1 of the ROC National Defense Act states:

The goal of the ROC's national defense is to protect national security and safeguard world peace through display of national strength as a whole and building of a national defense military force.

In response to the international strategic environment and military threats from the PRC, the current ROC national defense policy is based on the following concepts:

1. Preventing war and conflicts by establishing a sustainable defense and deterrence capability.
2. Maintaining stability in the Taiwan Strait through dialogue and exchange of security information, transparency in military affairs, and increased mutual understanding on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
3. Defending the national territory through military preparedness, effective deterrence, and resolute defense.

The Ministry of National Defense (MND) is responsible for effectively using the personnel, material, and financial assets of the nation to maintain combat readiness and strengthen overall defense capabilities, in accordance with the policy of "combining national defense with people's livelihood" based on the principles of the ROC Constitution. This necessitates integrating the nation's military, economic, and psychological infrastructures and promoting popular participation, trust, integrated defense, and overall development to implement comprehensive national defense mobilization.

Budget Reductions

The defense budget for the ROC military has generally been reduced each year over the past decade, and an increasing percentage has become open to public scrutiny. The defense budget proportion of the total national budget has decreased from 24.28 percent to 16.59 percent, and of GNP from 4.11 percent to 2.51 percent.

The following figure shows the propotions of defense budget in Taiwan's total government budget and GNP, from 1994 to 2003:

Maximizing Effectiveness

The operations of the ROC Armed Forces are guided by the maxim of "effective deterrence, resolute defense," and designed to maintain control of the air and sea, conduct defensive ground operations, and maximize joint combat capabilities. Superior information and electronic capabilities are being developed to facilitate the coordination of air, sea, and ground operations to defeat aggressors and repel hostile forces. With successful completion of the Armed Forces Refining Program, the MND reduced the total number of personnel in the Armed Forces from 450,000 in 1997 to 380,000 in 2001, and is well on its way to establishing an efficient and compact military capable of rapid-response, precision strikes for effective deterrence.

Other achievements of the Armed Forces Refining Program include:

• Since July 1, 1998, MND, General Staff Headquarters, and commands of the three services have been reorganizing staff units at all levels, changing their designations according to each unit's functions. So far, 554 first and second grade staff units have been reduced to 402, down 27.44 percent.

• The ROC Army has adjusted its force structure, cutting several divisions and independent brigades, while forming division-level commands and more than 30 joint-branch brigades. Other organizational restructuring has also been carried out.

• The ROC Navy has acquired new combat vessels, including Lafayette-class, Chenggong-class, Knox-class, and Jinjiang-class ships. In addition, an Aviation Command has been set up to include ROC's anti-submarine group. Two division level units of the Chinese Marine Corps have been reorganized into two marine brigades and a base garrison brigade.

• The ROC Air Force has gradually upgraded its combat wings with the acquisition of new combat aircraft, including F-16, IDF, and Mirage 2000-5 fighters. In addition, the Air Force's Eastern Command has been transformed into the Education, Training, and Doctrine Development Command.

• On July 1, 1999, the Combined Services Headquarters completed its mission of reorganizing the ROC Armed Force's common logistics units.

• The ROC Military Police Command has reorganized its structure.