| 中華民國國防部 Zhōnghuá Mínguó Guófángbù (Mandarin) | |
 Emblem of the Ministry of National Defense | |
.svg) Seal of the Ministry of National Defense (國防部印) | |
 Headquarters of the Ministry of National Defense | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1912; 114 years ago (1912) (as Ministry of War) 1946; 80 years ago (1946) (as Ministry of National Defence) |
| Jurisdiction | Republic of China |
| Headquarters | Zhongshan District, Taipei, Taiwan |
| Annual budget | US$19.1 billion (2024） |
| Ministers responsible |
|
| Website | www |
TheMinistry 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 theRepublic of China (ROC), which is now based primarily in theTaiwan Area butformerly governedMainland China prior to 1949. It is responsible for alldefense andmilitary affairs of Taiwan andsurrounding area. The MND has been headed by MinisterWellington Koo since 2024.
The MND was originally established asMinistry of War in 1912 at the creation of theRepublic 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 theMinistry 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, 1952Treaty 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 inZhongzheng District to the current one in Dazhi area atZhongshan District, where it houses the Air Force Command Headquarters, Navy Command Headquarters andHeng 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]
The headquarters of the military was originally in easternNanjing nearMing Palace.Today it is located in Dazhi area ofZhongshan District inTaipei. 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 andbollards 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 centralair conditioning system is provided byice 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]
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 likeNational Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST).[7]
1. Ministers of War during theRepublic of China (1912-1928) (歷代陸軍總長)：
2. Ministers of War during theNational Government of the Republic of China (歷代軍政部長)：
| No. | Portrait | Name (born–died) | Term of office | Party | Cabinet | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||||
| 1 |  | Feng Yuxiang (馮玉祥) (1882–1948) | 25 October 1928 | 18 November 1930 | 2 years, 24 days | Kuomintang | Tan [zh] | ||
| 2 |  | He Yingqin (何應欽) (1890–1987) | 18 November 1930 | 31 May 1945 | 14 years, 194 days | Kuomintang | Chiang I [zh] Sun I [zh] Wang [zh] Chiang II [zh] Kung [zh] Chiang III [zh] | ||
| 3 |  | Chen Cheng (陳誠) (1898–1965) | 31 May 1945 | 24 May 1948 | 2 years, 359 days | Kuomintang | Zhang [zh] | ||
3. Ministers of the Navy during theRepublic of China (1912-1928) (歷代海軍總長)：
4. Ministers of the Navy during theNational Government of the Republic of China (歷代海軍部長)：
5. Chiefs of Staff during theRepublic of China (1912-1928) (歷代參謀總長):
6. Chiefs of Staff during theNational Government of the Republic of China (歷代參謀總長)：
7. Directors of Training (歷代訓練總監部長)：
8. 歷代軍事參議院長：
(in Chinese)
