The Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China (MND; Chinese: 中華民國國防部; pinyin: Zhōnghuá Mínguó Guófángbù) is the ministry of the Republic of China (Taiwan) responsible for all defense and military affairs of Taiwan and surrounding area. The MND is headed by Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng.
History
ROC Ministry of National Defense former headquarters
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.[1]
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.[2] 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.[3] The official ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on 27 December 2014.[4]
Headquarters
ROC Ministry of National Defense 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.[5]
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.[4]
Budget
In 2016 the annual defense budget for Taiwan was NT$320 billion.[6]
In 2021 the Ministry of National Defense began directly funding defense related research at civilian universities. NT$5 billion (US$147 million) 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 (NCSIST).[7]
Organizational structure
Armed Forces Reserve CommandAir Force Command HeadquartersNational Defense Procurement OfficeArmaments Bureau
