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Ministry of National Defense
中華民國國防部; Zhōnghuá Mínguó Guófángbù (Mandarin)
	Seal of the Ministry of National Defense; (國防部印)
	; Flag of the Ministry of National Defense
Agency overview
Formed	1912; 112 years ago (as Ministry of War); 1946; 78 years ago (as Ministry of National Defence)
Jurisdiction	Taiwan
Headquarters	Zhongshan District, Taipei, Taiwan
Annual budget	US$19.1 billion （2024）
Ministers responsible	Wellington Koo, Minister; General Po Hung-hui, Vice Minister (Policy); General Hsu Yen-pu, Vice Minister (Armaments);
Website	www.mnd.gov.tw

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 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.^[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

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

Headquarter departments

Department of Strategic Planning (戰略規劃司)
Department of Resources Planning (資源規劃司)
Department of Military Justice (法律事務司)
Department of Integrated Assessment (整合評估司)
Office of the Inspector General (總督察長室)
National Defense Procurement Office (國防採購室)
Administration Office (政務辦公室)
Personnel Office (人事室)
Ethics Office (政風室)
Accounting Office (主計室)

Secondary or affiliated authorities

General staff headquarters

Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Personnel (人事參謀次長室)
Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence (情報參謀次長室)
Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Operations and Planning (作戰及計畫參謀次長室)
Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Logistics (後勤參謀次長室)
Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Communications, Electronics and Information (通信電子資訊參謀次長室)
Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Training (訓練參謀次長室)^[8]
Communication Development Office (電訊發展室)
Military Intelligence Bureau (軍事情報局)