Ministry of National Defense (Taiwan)
The Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China is the ministry of the Republic of China, which is now based primarily in the Taiwan Area but formerly governed Mainland China prior to 1949. It is responsible for all defense and military affairs of Taiwan and surrounding area. The MND has been headed by Minister Wellington Koo since 2024.
History
The MND was originally established as Ministry of War in 1912 at the creation of the Republic of China. It established a military occupation operation center in Taipei, Formosa in November 1945, following the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers Douglas MacArthur's September 2, 1945 General Order No. 1, for the surrender of Japanese troops and auxiliary forces in Formosa and the Pescadores to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. It was changed to the Ministry of National Defense in 1946. Military operation activities in Formosa and the Pescadores were expanded after Japan renounced its title, right, and claim to Formosa and the Pescadores based on the April 28, 1952 Treaty of Peace with Japan. The Law of National Defense and the Organic Law of the ministry were officially promulgated for implementation on 1 March 2002.On 8 December 2014, the ministry moved out from its building from the previous one at Boai Building in Zhongzheng District to the current one in Dazhi area at Zhongshan District, where it houses the Air Force Command Headquarters, Navy Command Headquarters and Heng Shan Military Command Center. The completion of the building had been delayed for nearly two decades due to the compound original architecture and the bankruptcy of the project's original contractor. The planning for the new building and relocation had been done since 1997. The official ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on 27 December 2014.
Headquarters
The headquarters of the military was originally in eastern Nanjing near Ming Palace.Today it is located in Dazhi area of Zhongshan District in Taipei. The 8-story main building was constructed at a cost of NT$15.8 billion, spreading over 19.5 hectares of area, which houses office buildings, dormitories and other facilities, such as post office, barbershop, sports center, conference hall and sport center to accommodate its 3,000 military personnel stationed there. It also includes several annex buildings around.
The security features of the building include fingerprint and eye scanners that restrict access to certain areas, sensors that can detect vehicles in the unauthorized areas and that may carry explosives and bollards on the compound to block unauthorized vehicles. The compound also has eco-friendly features, such as stone walls, aluminum and low-emission exterior glass panels. The central air conditioning system is provided by ice storage system to reduce peak load electricity demand. The building also has rainwater collecting facilities which can store up to 1,000 tons of water, complete with its waste water treatment and filtering systems.
Budget
In 2016 the annual defense budget for Taiwan was NT$320 billion.In 2021 the Ministry of National Defense began directly funding defense related research at civilian universities. NT$5 billion were allocated for the first five years of the program with an initial focus on information security and robotics, artificial intelligence, the internet of things and quantum computing. Previously funding had been allocated through intermediaries with most going to military affiliated research organizations like National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology.
Organizational structure
Headquarter departments
- Department of Strategic Planning
- Department of Resources Planning
- Department of Military Justice
- Department of Integrated Assessment
- Office of the Inspector General
- National Defense Procurement Office
- Administration Office
- Personnel Office
- Ethics Office
- Accounting Office
Secondary or affiliated authorities
- Political Warfare Bureau
- Armaments Bureau
- Comptroller Bureau
- Medical Affairs Bureau
- All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency
General staff headquarters
- Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Personnel
- Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence
- Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Operations and Planning
- Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Logistics
- Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Communications, Electronics and Information
- Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Training
- Communication Development Office
- Military Intelligence Bureau
Military authorities
- Army Command Headquarters
- Navy Command Headquarters
- Air Force Command Headquarters
Military institutions
- Armed Forces Reserve Command
- Military Police Command
- Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command
Affiliated research institutes
- National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology
- Institute for National Defense and Security Research
Military academies
- National Defense University
- National Defense Medical Center
- Republic of China Military Academy
- Republic of China Naval Academy
- Republic of China Air Force Academy
- Republic of China Air Force Institute of Technology
- Army Academy R.O.C.
- Chung Cheng Armed Forces Preparatory School
List of ministers
War
1. Ministers of War during the Republic of China (1912-1928) ：- Duan Qirui ：13 March 1912–5 March 1915; 1st time
- Wang Shizhen ：5 March 1915–22 April 1916; 1st time
- Duan Qirui ： 22 April 1916–1917; 2nd time
- Zhang Shiyu ：1917
- Wang Shizhen ：1917; 2nd time
- Duan Qirui ：1917; 3rd time
- Wang Shizhen ：1917–1918; 3rd time
- Duan Zhigui ：1918–1919
- Jin Yunpeng ：1919–1921; 1st time
- Cai Chengxun ：1921
- Bao Guiqing ：1921–1922
- Wu Peifu ：1922
- Zhang Shaozeng ：1922–1923
- Wang Tan ：1923; 1st time
- Jin Shaozeng ：1923–1924; 2nd time
- Lu Jin ：1924
- Li Shucheng ：1924
- Wu Guangxin ：1924–1925
- Jia Deyao ：1925–1926; Anhui clique
- Zhang Jinghui ：1926–1927
- He Fenglin ：1927–1928
3. Ministers of the Navy during the Republic of China (1912-1928) ：
- Liu Guanxiong ：1912–1916; 1st time
- Cheng Biguang ：1916–1917; 1st time
- Sa Zhenbing ：1917; 1st time
- Liu Guanxiong ：1917–1919; 2nd time
- Sa Zhenbing ：1919–1921; 2nd time
- Li Dingxin ：1921–1924; 2nd time
- Du Xigui ：1924; 1st time
- Lin Jianzhang ：1924–1925; 1st time
- Du Xigui ：1925–1927; 2nd time
- Yang Shuzhuang ：1929–1932; Kuomintang
- Chen Shaokuan ：1932–1938; Kuomintang
- Huang Xing ：1912; 1st time
- Xu Shaozhen：1912; 1st time
- Li Yuanhong ：1912–1915; 1st time
- Feng Guozhang ：1915–1916; 1st time
- Duan Qirui ：1916; 1st time
- Wang Shizhen ：1916–1917; 1st time
- Yin Chang ：1917–1919; 1st time
- Zhang Huaizhi ：1919–1924; 1st time
- Li Liejun ：1924–1925; 1st time
- Yang Sen ：1925–1926; 1st time
- Liu Ruxian ：1926; 1st time
- Liu Xiang ：1926–1927; 1st time
- Li Jishen ：1928–1929; Kuomintang
- He Yingqin ：1929; Kuomintang
- Zhu Peide ：1929–1932; Kuomintang
- Chiang Kai-shek ：1932–1935; Kuomintang
- Cheng Qian ：1935–1938; Kuomintang
- He Yingqin ：1938–1946; Kuomintang
- He Yingqin ：1928–1931; Kuomintang
- Li Jishen ：1931–1933; Kuomintang
- Zhu Peide ：1933–1934; Kuomintang
- Tang Shengzhi ：1934–1938; Kuomintang
- Bai Chongxi ：1938–1946; Kuomintang
- Li Zongren ：1928–1929; Kuomintang
- Tang Shengzhi ：1929–1931; Kuomintang
- Zhang Jinghui ：1931; Kuomintang
- Zhang Yipeng ：1931–1934; Kuomintang
- Chen Tiaoyuan ：1934–1943; Kuomintang
- Li Jishen ：1943–1945; Kuomintang
- Long Yun ：1945–1946; Kuomintang