Taiwan

the military’s primary responsibility is external security, including the defense and protection of the country’s air space, maritime claims, sea lines of communications, sovereignty, and territory; its main focus is the challenge posed by the People’s Republic of China (2025)

Taiwan Armed Forces: Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force, Information Communication and Electronic Force (ICEF) Ocean Affairs Council: Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Ministry of Interior: National Police (2025)

note: the CGA is a law enforcement organization with homeland security functions during peacetime and national defense missions during wartime

men 18-36 years of age may volunteer or must complete 12 months of compulsory military service; civil service can be substituted for military service in some cases; women can volunteer (2025)

note: in January 2024, Taiwan extended compulsory service from 4 to 12 months for men born in 2005 and thereafter

the military's inventory is a mix of domestically produced and foreign-supplied armaments, mostly from the US either as secondhand or direct acquisitions; Taiwan's domestic defense industry produces weapons systems such as aircraft, armored vehicles, missiles, and naval platforms (2025)

approximately 170,000 active duty Armed Forces (2025)