Major Mission Definition

Abstract

The vast majority of respondents see the role of the military as one of defense. The role of defending against attack from China is larger in all groups, although interestingly, those with parents from the mainland tend to think the army’s role is to defend “against another country,” and not necessarily to defend against China. The difference between identifying the name of the enemy and not doing so is of little practical difference, but an inability to articulate the name of the enemy is at odds with the military’s role to unambiguously defend the nation against exterior threats. Moreover, the close ties that have developed in recent years between the KMT and the CCP, coupled with the preponderance of old-guard thinking within the military, threaten to muddy the waters and cause the general population to see the military as an anachronistic, out-of-touch institution that is not in tune with the realities of the threat facing Taiwan. This would have detrimental effects on recruitment, retention, and morale within the military, and with its place in society. Given the history of animosity between the ROC military’s traditional role and the trend toward localization, it is little wonder that the survey results show that people are concerned about confusion in national identity, especially as regarding how it impacts the military. There appears to be an across-the-board consensus that the main problem facing today’s ROC military is confusion about national identity, with 38.1 percent of respondents choosing this option to best represent their belief about where the problem lies.

Citation

Karalekas, D. (2018), "Major Mission Definition", Civil-Military Relations in Taiwan, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 83-91. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78756-479-420181006