Taiwan’s military strength ranks 15th in the world and ninth in the Asia-Pacific region in terms of conventional war-making capability across land, sea and air, according to a survey conducted by military Web site Global Firepower.
The nation’s ranking has fluctuated between 14th and 18th since 2009, peaking at 14th in 2011 and 2012 and last year standing at 17th, according to the Web site.
A total of 126 nations make up the list this year, with the US at the top followed by Russia and China.
Taiwan outranks Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore in the Asia-Pacific region, while falling behind China, South Korea, Japan, Turkey, Indonesia and Australia, the survey shows.
“With an eye on independence still, the island nation of Taiwan must retain a large, modern fighting force and powerful allies for its own security,” the Web site says.
In terms of available manpower, Taiwan’s 290,000 active front-line personnel are ranked 20th globally. China tops the category with 2.33 million active military personnel, followed by the US with 1.4 million, Russia with 760,000 and North Korea with 690,000, according to the survey.
Taiwan ranks 14th in the land system category with 2,005 battle tanks. Russia heads the category with 15,000 tanks, followed by China with 9,100 tanks and the US with 8,800 tanks.
Taiwan’s 288 fighters and interceptors make it into the top 10 in air power, falling behind Japan by just one aircraft. The US tops the category with its 2,207 fighter aircraft, ahead of China with 1,066 fighters.
“The fifth generation fighter is currently embodied by the Lockheed F-22 Raptor, with competitors arising in both Russia and China, [while] fourth generation fighters remain a capable — and cost-effective — battlefield component,” the Web site says.
Taiwan is ranked 23rd in terms of naval power with 103 combat vessels. North Korea outnumbers all other competitors in the category with its 1,064 battleships. China has 673 vessels, while the US has 473, according to the survey. The listing includes battleforce ships made up of aircraft carriers, frigates, destroyers, corvettes and all auxiliary vessels.
In terms of submarines — a key development project in the nation’s defense industry — Taiwan is ranked 29th with its four submarines. The US tops the subcategory with 72 submarines, outnumbering North Korea by just two.
While nuclear capability is not taken into account, the ranking is based on a formula utilizing more than 50 different quantifiable factors, including values related to weaponry, number of service members, resources, logistical capabilities, finances and geography.
While most information is gathered via the CIA and data in the public domain, some statistics have been estimated where official numbers are not publicly available, the Web site says.
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
RSS