Ministry of National Defense (Republic of China)


The Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China is a cabinet-level agency under the Executive Yuan responsible for all defense and military affairs of Taiwan. The MND is headed by Minister Yen Teh-fa.

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 Hengshan 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

The current annual defense budget for Taiwan is NT$320 billion.

Organizational structure

Military institutions

1. Ministers of War during the Republic of China ：
2. Ministers of War during the National Government of the Republic of China ：
3. Ministers of the Navy during the Republic of China ：
4. Ministers of the Navy during the National Government of the Republic of China ：
5. Chiefs of Staff during the Republic of China :
6. Chiefs of Staff during the National Government of the Republic of China ：
7. Directors of Training ：
8. 歷代軍事參議院長：

Ministers of National Defense

For ministers that retired from the Armed Forces to serve, the Service column denotes their military branch before retirement.