Republic of China Marine Corps

The Marine Corps Command (海軍陸戰隊指揮部) is subordinate to the Navy GHQ, the General Staff, the Minister of Defense, and the ROC President.

The Taiwanese Marines were awarded the Tiger Banner by Chiang Kai-shek in 1959.

President Tsai Ing-wen reviews a Marine Corps battalion in 2020

The ROC Marine Corps were formed from the former Navy Sentry Corps in December 1914.

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, the ROC marines saw little in amphibious warfare for the Japanese dominated the seas & thus saw combat in the same form as the regular infantry.

Likewise, during the civil war, the ROC marines were either absorbed as regular infantry units, or played as supporting role. However, in 1947, the ROC Marine Corps was reconstituted & saw action Mawei, Fujian.[9] Since the Chinese Civil War, the ROCMC has participated in several battles (such as the Battle of Dongshan Island and Wanshan Archipelago Campaign), and in humanitarian response efforts, with the 66th Marine Brigade being decorated by President Chiang Kai-shek. Marines were also stationed on Taiping Island in the Spratly Islands, being used to reinforce Taiwanese claims of sovereignty in that region. In 2000 they were replaced there by the Coast Guard Administration.[10] Due to the "Americanization" of the ROC military, and due to the belief that an amphibious infantry force would be the vanguard of a liberation of the Chinese mainland, Taiwan developed a Marine Corps in the 1950s that was separate from the Army or Navy and would spearhead the hypothetical invasion of the mainland.[9]

The Marine Corps used to be 2 divisions, 66th and 99th divisions, in size, when its doctrine focused on retaking mainland China. Since its transition to a defensive posture, the ROCMC has been downsized towards a focus as a small rapid reaction force, a strategic reserve, and has learned skills compatible with guerrilla warfare operations. The Marine Corps is by design trained and equipped for transport by the ROC Navy to conduct amphibious assaults to defend Taiwan's outlying islands and Taiwan's coasts. A plan announced by the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense in August 2000 phased out divisional commands, leading to the replacement of divisions by brigades. Under the plan from the year 2000, the ROCMC was organized into the 66th Brigade in northern Taiwan, the 99th Brigade in southern Taiwan,and the 77th Brigade with its components dispersed throughout Taiwan. Each brigade includes infantry, tank, anti-tank, artillery, support, and air defense units.[10][11] In 2004, the ROCMC redeployed a brigade near the Taipei area to defend against a possible PRC decapitation strike.[10]

The administration of President Ma Ying-jeou reduced the number of Taiwanese Marines from about 16,000 to 9,000 and considered disbanding the Marine Corps entirely. Because of Taiwan's lack of foreign military contacts, the ROCMC remains a heavily mechanized force that is not very mobile, unlike the United States Marine Corps. Despite this, the Taiwanese Marines are considered to be some of the best ground troops in the Republic of China Armed Forces and have a high level of professionalism. The ROCMC maintains a similar culture to the USMC, including its motto "Forever Loyal" being a translation of Semper Fidelis, and promoting the idea that Marine is a title that is earned for life.[11][12]

Since its formation the ROC Marine Corps has received training from the United States Marine Corps, from 1979 to 2020 that training was conducted secretly however in 2020 the annual month long training exercise held with trainers from the USMC's Marine Raider Regiment was conducted publicly.[13]

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  Seven ROCMC M8 motor boats circled around Exercise Water
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  Marines at Zuoying naval pier
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  ROC Marine Corps personnel
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  ROC Marine Corps frogmen
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  Chikwondo, 2009

• Republic of China Navy
• People's Liberation Army Navy Marine Corps