Global InformationRepublic of China Armed Forces information
| Republic of China Armed Forces | |
|---|---|
| 中華民國國軍 | |
 Flag of the Ministry of National Defense | |
| Founded | 16 June 1924 (as National Revolutionary Army) |
| Current form | 25 December 1947 (as current service) |
| Service branches |
|
| Headquarters | Ministry of Defense Building, Zhongshan District, Taipei |
| Website | Chinese English |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief |  Tsai Ing-wen |
| Minister of National Defense |  Chiu Kuo-cheng |
| Chief of the General Staff |  Admiral Mei Chia-shu |
| Personnel | |
| Military age | 18 |
| Conscription | 4 months (1 year from 2024)[1] |
| Active personnel | 169,000[2]–180,000 (2023)[3] |
| Reserve personnel | 1,657,000 (2023)[2] |
| Expenditures | |
| Budget | US$19.1 billion (2024)[4] |
| Industry | |
| Domestic suppliers |
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| Related articles | |
| History |
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| Ranks | Military ranks |
| Republic of China Armed Forces | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 中華民國國軍 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 中华民国国军 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Chinese Republic National Army | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Shorter name: National Army | |||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 國軍 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 国军 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Former name: National Revolutionary Army | |||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 國民革命軍 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 国民革命军 | ||||||||||||||||||
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The Republic of China Armed Forces[a] are the armed forces of the Republic of China (ROC) that once ruled Mainland China and now currently restricted to its territorial jurisdictions of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu Islands. They consist of the Army, Navy (including the Marine Corps), Air Force and Military Police Force. The military is under the civilian control of the Ministry of National Defense, a cabinet-level agency overseen by the Legislative Yuan.
Formerly known as the National Revolutionary Army (NRA), it was renamed as the Republic of China Armed Forces in 1947 due to the implementation of the newly promulgated Constitution of the Republic of China.[5] It was also historically referred as the Chinese National Armed Forces (CNAF) prior to the establishment of the People's Republic of China on the Chinese mainland and the gradual loss of international recognition in the 1970s by the United Nations and many countries, including the ROC's close ally, the United States.
Until the 1970s and towards the end of martial law, the military's primary mission was for the ROC to eventually retake mainland China from the communist–controlled People's Republic of China (PRC) through campaigns such as Project National Glory.[citation needed] The military's current foremost mission is the defense of the islands remaining under the control of the ROC, against a possible military invasion by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of the PRC, which is seen as the predominant threat to the ROC[6][7] in the ongoing dispute over the ambiguous political status of Taiwan dating back to the de facto end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949.
The ROCAF has an approximate active strength of between 169,000 and 180,000 personnel, and is capable of mobilizing as many as 2.5 million reservists in the event of national exigencies or a full-scale war. It also has a large pool of former conscripts, with every fit male citizen of the ROC having to serve a year when they reach the military age of 18.
- ^ Lee, Yimou. "Taiwan to extend conscription to one year, citing rising China threat". Reuters. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- ^ a b IISS 2023, p. 291.
- ^ Dotson, John (8 February 2023). "Taiwan's "Military Force Restructuring Plan" and the Extension of Conscripted Military Service". Global Taiwan Brief. Global Taiwan Institute.
- ^ SAITO, MARI; LEE, YIMOU; LAGUE, DAVID. "The leader who's standing up to China". www.reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ National Assembly (制憲國民大會) (25 December 1946). "Clause 138". 中華民國憲法 [Constitution of the Republic of China] (in Traditional Chinese). Nanjing: National Assembly. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
全國陸海空軍，須超出個人、地域及黨派關係以外，效忠國家，愛護人民。(English translation: The land, sea and air forces of the whole country shall be above personal, regional, or party affiliations, shall be loyal to the state, and shall protect the people.)
{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help) - ^ "2004 National Defense White Paper" (PDF). ROC Ministry of National Defense. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 September 2006. Retrieved 5 March 2006.
- ^ "2004 National Defense Report" (PDF). ROC Ministry of National Defense. 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 March 2006. Retrieved 5 March 2006.
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