Armed Forces of the Republic of China

	Armed Forces of the Republic of China ; 中華民國國軍
guide
Commander in Chief :	President of the Republic of China (currently Tsai Ing-wen )
Defense Minister:	Defense Minister of the Republic of China (currently Yen Teh-fa )
Military leadership:	General Staff (currently acting Admiral Liu Chih-pin )
Headquarters:	Taipei , Republic of China (Taiwan)
Military strength
Active soldiers:	290,000
Reservists:	1,675,000
Conscription:	One year of compulsory military service for men between 19 and 40 years of age
Resilient population:	Total (men and women; ages 15-40): 4,749,537 (2005; estimate)
Eligibility for military service:	Completed 19 to 40 years of age
household
Military budget:	$ 10.5 billion (2008; estimate)
Share of gross domestic product :	2.5% (2008; estimate)
history
Founding:	1947
Factual foundation:	1925 (as National Revolutionary Army)

The armed forces of the Republic of China consist of four branches and are tasked with protecting and defending the Republic of China (Taiwan) . This is particularly important in the conflict between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People's Republic of China (see: Taiwan conflict ).

The armed forces of the Republic of China are in historical continuity with the Nationalist Revolutionary Army of the nationalists in the Chinese civil war . Until the 1970s, the official military doctrine was aimed at being able to carry out offensive operations against the People's Republic in order to retake mainland China ("Project National Glory", Chinese 國光計劃 / 国光计划 , Pinyin Guóguāng jìhuà , English Project National Glory ). Today the armed forces are defensive.

history

1911 to 1949: On the mainland

Various armies are associated with this era, including those of the Kuomintang and the CCP. There were two armies with the title " National Army " ( Chinese 國軍 / 国军 , Pinyin Guójūn , English National Army ) within this period . The Beiyang army of a " warlord government" and later the " National Revolutionary Army " ( Chinese 國民革命軍 / 国民革命军 , Pinyin Guómín Gémìng Jūn , English National Revolutionary Army ) of the republic.

The establishment of the first republic of China was only made possible by the mutiny of the "New Army" ( Chinese 新軍 / 新军 , Pinyin Xīnjūn , English New army ) of the Qing with Yuan Shikai as commander of the modernly armed Beiyang army that controlled northern China . After his death in 1916, this army broke up into different factions and the army generals became warlords who controlled the great fiefdoms for the following decades. Professional soldiers in these armies often did not wear uniforms, which negated the visual difference between combatants and rebels or bandits .

With the help of the Communist International, Sun Yat-sen reorganized the National Revolutionary Army in Guangdong in 1925 with the aim of reunifying China under the leadership of the Kuomintang. To this end, the army fought against the warlords who divided China. In 1925, after Sun Yat-sen's death, Chiang Kai-shek assumed command. He continued the fight with the successful northern campaign and united the parts of China controlled by the warlords. One of the biggest missions for the armed forces of the Republic of China was the Soviet-Chinese border war in 1929. The goal of the Republic of China was to suppress the spread of Soviet power. The war began on August 17, 1929 with the invasion of Manchuria by the Red Army and ended militarily with a Chinese defeat.

The National Revolutionary Army fought in the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945), which became part of World War II . The military leadership during the war was intertwined with the political leadership and the distinction between party, state and army was fluid , as in Leninism . When the Red Army won the Chinese Civil War , large parts of the National Revolutionary Army, mostly the elite, fled to Taiwan with the leadership of the Kuomintang . It was later reformed in Taiwan to the " Army of the Republic of China ". Surviving units that were unable to flee to Taiwan or the " Golden Triangle " were disbanded.

Armed Forces in Taiwan

Guard of honor at the martyr's shrine

CM11-tanks of the Army of the Republic of China

Frigate Kang Ding (PFG3-1202) with the Republic of China Navy S-70C helicopter

Marines of the Republic of China

AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-kuo of the Air Force of the Republic of China

Military Police of the Republic of China

Since 1949, the Republic of China has had a relatively large and well-equipped army which, due to the anti-secession law of the People's Republic of China, is supposed to be constantly prepared for an invasion by armed forces of the Chinese Red Army .

From 1949 to the 1970s, the military's strategy was aimed at a possible conquest of the mainland, after which the existing National Revolutionary Army was transformed into a defense army with a standing air force and navy . Control of the armed forces was handed over to the civilian leadership . Since the military of the republic is based on that of the Revolutionary Army, the older high-ranking generation of officers tends towards pan-blue political views. However, this generation, whose families are mostly still from the mainland, is largely retired and the military is increasingly moving towards public opinion.

In the event of an invasion of the People's Republic of China, the ROC Professional and Conscript Army would form the first line of defense until U.S. reinforcements support the Republic's fronts . The United States' defense pact with Japan, signed in 2005, means Japan's support for the republic. Other US allies, such as Australia, could theoretically continue to support the republic, but are not expected. Furthermore, the participation of the USA itself is to be questioned, since there is no guarantee by the Taiwan Relations Act.

A Taiwanese government report published in March 2010 assumes that, in the event of a conflict, the air forces of the People's Republic of China would probably have the air superiority in the event of war due to their long-standing armaments efforts .

Since 2001, as an alternative to the existing conscription, there has been the possibility of a community service program ( Chinese 替代役 , Pinyin Tìdàiyì - "community service provider "). Both services last 1 year. In addition, there is the option of doing civilian service with a private company, but this service is extended to 4 years.

Equipment and personnel

The armed forces have approximately 300,000 soldiers, with 3,870,000 reserves. The republic began in the 1990s with the reduction of the armed forces (from the original 430,000) and a parallel professionalization. Conscription ( Chinese 當兵 / 当兵 , Pinyin bīng - "military service soldier ") applies to all men over the age of 18. By 2014, the armed forces should be a full professional army with a target strength of 214,000 men. This downsizing and professionalization is intended to free up resources for weapons development and procurement. The USA, France and the Netherlands are important arms cooperation partners . In-house developments such as the CM-32 tank are also used in some cases . The further, defensive armament has stopped since 2001 and has become a relevance debate. A substantial part of the equipment and vehicles are covered by the United States and legally under the Taiwan Relations Act .

In the event of an attack by the People's Republic through naval blockades , air raids or bombardments , the army would defend itself with the air force and the navy.

army

The Army of the Republic of China comprises 200,000 soldiers. It is the largest branch of the armed forces of the Republic of China and is mainly divided into three armies: Army North (6th Corps , HQ : Taoyuan ), Army Middle (10th Corps, HQ: Taichung ) and Army South (8th Corps, HQ : Chisan ). These three armies are subordinate to seven tank brigades , two mechanized infantry brigades , ten infantry brigades , three mobile divisions and two anti-aircraft groups .

Air Force

The Air Force of the Republic of China ( Chung-Kuo Kung Chuan , English: Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF)) is a branch of the armed forces of the Republic of China and comprises around 45,000 soldiers. The air combat command, the logistics command and the training command are subordinate to the high command.

60 French Dassault Mirage 2000s and 150 American F-16s were purchased. In addition, six Hawkeye radar planes were imported. Because of the embargo measures against the Republic of China, there was also the need for in-house developments by the company's own industry. For example, around 130 AIDC Ching-Kuo aircraft are in use. For air defense, besides in-house developments (Tieh-Kung anti-aircraft missile), HAWK and Stingers, 200 MIM-104 Patriot PAC-2 anti-aircraft missiles from the USA have been used since the early 1990s . Plans of the "Ministry of National Defense", the more modern variant PAC-3, were blocked by the legislative yuan for a long time. With a view to the People's Republic, the USA has refused to sell another 60 F-16s. The Republic of China is developing cruise missiles to defend itself against an invasion of the People's Republic.

Curtiss Hawk II of the Air Force of the Republic of China
AIDC Ching-Kuo

marine

The Navy of the Republic of China has a strength of around 45,000 soldiers (including naval aviators ), which is also subordinate to the marine infantry with 15,000 members.

There were four destroyers of the Kidd-class destroyer purchased from the United States. In addition, the Republic of China built eight American frigates of the Oliver Hazard Perry class under license and imported eight decommissioned Knox frigates in the 1990s. Six La Fayette ships were imported from France. The Ministry of National Defense's plans to buy diesel -powered submarines have long been blocked by the Legislative Yuan .