Taiwan's Defense Reform

The stand-off across the Straits of Taiwan continues to be one of the most dangerous confrontations in Asia. The technical superiority of the Taiwanese forces has been a major factor in maintaining balance, but as mainland China's armed forces modernize, Taiwan's advantages are being eroded. In response, Taiwan has recently undertaken a major reform of its armed forces.

Bringing together a wide range of experts including people who are involved in defence policy making in Taiwan, this book presents a comprehensive analysis of these reforms, and assesses their likely effectiveness. Chapters are devoted to issues including the Chinese threat, the domestic context of reform, the role of the United States and specific defence issues, making the book an invaluable guide to the changes undertaken and underway within Taiwan’s strategic environment.

With a foreword by Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian, Taiwan's Defense Reform will be of interest to policy makers and academics working in this vital strategic area.

Martin Edmonds is the Director of Studies and Publications Editor of the Centre for Defence and International Security Studies, and an honorary professorial fellow emeritus in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Lancaster University. He is also the founding editor-in-chief of the journal Defense and Security Analysis.

Michael M. Tsai is Taiwan’s Vice Minister of Defence. Prior to that post, he served in Washington as the Taipei’s deputy representative with specific responsibility for relations with the US Department of Defense. As a member of the DPP, he served as a legislator in the Legislative Yuan and was advisor to the Organizational Planning Committee of the Ministry of National Defense. He is also the founder of the journal Taiwan Defense Affairs and the Institute for Taiwan Defense and Strategic Studies.