Republic of China Marine Corps
Chinese: 中華民國海軍陸戰隊
Zhōnghuá Mínguó Hǎijūnlùzhàndùi (Mandarin)
Chûng-fà Mìn-koet Hói-kiûn-liu̍k-chan-chhui (Hakka)
Emblem of the Republic of China Marine Corps with the map of ROC claimed lands of mainland China, Outer Mongolia, and Russia.
Active1914-???
1947-present
Country Republic of China
TypeMarines
Role
Size10,000 active personnel
Part of Republic of China Navy (since 1924)
HeadquartersZuoying, Kaohsiung, Republic of China (Taiwan)
Motto(s)永遠忠誠
(Semper Fidelis)
Engagements
Commanders
Commandant of the Republic of China Marine Corps Lieutenant-General Ma Qun-Chao
Insignia
Flag

The Republic of China Marine Corps (ROCMC; pinyin: Zhōnghuá Mínguó Hǎijūnlùzhàndùi), also known as the ROC Marine Corps or the ROC Marines and retroactively as the Chinese Marine Corps or the Chinese Marines, but colloquially as the Taiwanese Marine Corps is the amphibious arm of the Republic of China Navy (ROCN) responsible for amphibious warfare, counter-landing and reinforcement of the areas under the jurisdiction of the Republic of China (ROC), including the island of Taiwan, Kinmen, and the Matsu Islands, and defense of ROCN facilities, also functioning as a rapid reaction force and a strategic reserve capable of amphibious assaults.[1]

Established in 1914 on Mainland China, the ROCMC is considered the most selective branch within the ROC Armed Forces. The ROC Marines have gained much publicity for its "Road to Heaven" phase of one of their training courses[2][3] though in actuality, is only the final phase of their 10-week long selection program for their Amphibious Reconnaissance and Patrol Unit.

The ROC Marine Corps' official motto is (pinyin: Yǒngyuǎn zhōngchéng), the Chinese translation of "Semper Fidelis". The ROC Marines trains with the USMC though these are generally classified, unofficial, or with trainees officially considered by either side as "observers."[4][5][6]

Organization

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.

Current organization

  • Marine Corps Command
  • Corps HQ Battalion (隊部營)(November 1, 2013, it was cut and reorganized to the Combat Support Group (戰鬥支援大隊))
    • Battalion HQ company (隊部連)(November 1, 2013, it was cut and reorganized to the Combat Support Group Support Company (戰鬥支援大隊支援中隊))
    • Health company (衛生連)
    • honor guard company (儀隊連)
    • Security Guard company (警衛連)
    • Shooting training team (射訓隊)
    • Logistics company (輜汽連)
    • 272nd Company of the Marine Corps Military Police (陸戰憲兵第二七二連)
    • Military band (軍樂隊)
  • Amphibious Armor Group (登陸戰車大隊)
    • 4 Amphibious Transport Squadrons (運輸中隊), 24+ tracks per squadron. 1st (AAV-7), 2nd (AAV-7), 3rd (LVT-5), 4th (LVT-5).
    • 2 Amphibious Artillery Squadrons (砲兵中隊), mortars, 1st (LVT-5) and 2nd (LVT-5).
  • Amphibious Reconnaissance and Patrol Unit (海軍陸戰隊兩棲偵搜大隊): nicknamed "Frogmen" and regarded as the Taiwan's answer to the U.S. Navy SEALs and the ROC Marine Corps counterpart to MARSOC, over half of the 600 troops of this unit are aboriginal Taiwanese.
    • 3 Reconnaissance Company (偵搜中隊)
    • 1 Special Service Company (特勤中隊) (中華民國海軍陸戰隊特勤隊), the primarily counterterrorism related special unit of the ARP referred to colloquially as "The Black (Outfit) Unit" (黑衣部隊). All candidates who want to undergo their selection program are required to have a minimum five years of military service and some sort of martial arts background.
    • 1 Underwater Demolition Company (爆破中隊)
    • 1 Support Company (支援中隊)
  • Combat Support Group (戰鬥支援大隊), combined formerly the Beach Logistics Group and the Communications, Information, Electronic Warfare Group, and Corps HQ Battalion[7]
    • Support Squadron (支援中隊), combined formerly the battalion HQ company (隊部連)
  • Wuchiu Garrison Command (烏坵守備大隊)
  • Armed Force Joint Operation Training Base (三軍聯合作戰訓練基地)
  • Marine Corps Command
    • 66th Marine Brigade 'Vanguard' (陸戰六六旅「先鋒部隊」), Taipei area, receiving M60A3TTS to replace M41 tanks[8]
    • 77th Marine Brigade 'Iron Guards' (陸戰七七旅「鐵衛部隊」), Garrison brigade, CCK and other area all over Taiwan
    • 99th Marine Brigade 'Iron Force' (陸戰九九旅「鐵軍部隊」), Kaohsiung

History

The ROC Marine Corps 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]

Equipment

Type Make/Model Origin Ref
Main battle tankM60A3 TTS United States[14][15]
Light tankM41 Walker Bulldog United States
Armoured personnel carrierAAV-P7A1 amphibious assault vehicles United States
Armored fighting vehiclesLVPT5A1 amphibious assault vehicles United States
Tank destroyerCM-25 AFV(CM-21 with 1 x TOW launcher) Republic of China
Armored personnel carrierLVT-5 (LVTH-6, LVTE-1, LVTR-1, LVTC-1) United States
Armoured fighting vehiclesCM-24 Republic of Chinamodified CM-21 ammo carrier
Light utility vehicleM998 United States
HowitzerM101 howitzer United States
HowitzerM109 howitzer United States
Anti-tank missileBGM-71 TOW-2A/B United States
Anti-tank missileMK-153 SMAW United States
Anti-Tank missileFGM-148 Javelin Anti-Tank Guided Missile United States[16]
Recoilless rifleM40A1 recoilless rifle United States
Anti-tank rocketKestrel (rocket launcher) Republic of China[17]
Surface to air missileStinger DMS(Dual Mount Stinger) United States[18]
Surface to air missileMIM-72/M48 Chaparral locally upgraded FLIR by CSIST United States[18]
Assault rifleT65K2 assault rifle Republic of China
Assault rifleT91 combat rifle Republic of China
Squad Automatic WeaponT75 squad machine gun Republic of China
Sniper RifleSSG-2000  Switzerland
Sniper RifleT93 Republic of China
Automated grenade launcherMk 19 grenade launcher United States
AutocannonT-75 cannon 20mm Republic of China
ASW and utility helicopterMcDonnell Douglas MD 500 Defender United States
Tactical droneNCSIST Cardinal II Republic of China
Fast assault boatM109 Republic of China[19]

Ranks

Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Rank group General / flag officers Senior officers Junior officers Officer cadet
 Republic of China Marine Corps[20]
二級上將
Jī-kip siōng-chiòng		 中將
Tiong-chiòng		 少將
Siáu-chiòng		 上校
Siōng-hāu		 中校
Tiong-hāu		 少校
Siáu-hāu		 上尉
Siōng-ùi		 中尉
Tiong-ùi		 少尉
Siáu-ùi		 軍校生
Jūnxiào shēng

Other ranks

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted
 Republic of China Marine Corps[20]
一等士官長
Yīděng shìguānzhǎng		 二等士官長
Èrděng shìguānzhǎng		 三等士官長
Sānděng shìguānzhǎng		 上士
Shàngshì		 中士
Zhōngshì		 下士
Xiàshì		 上等兵
Shàngděngbīng		 一等兵
Yīděngbīng		 二等兵
Èrděngbīng

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Bolstering Taiwan's Last Line of Defense".
  2. ↑ "ROC Military: Taiwan's Top Tier". 2014-10-21.
  3. ↑ "The 'Road to Heaven,' one of Taiwan's most brutal military training events". Business Insider.
  4. ↑ "Pasadena Salutes Returning Marine Corps Battalion with City Hall Ceremony". PasadenaNow.com.
  5. ↑ "Taiwan marines trained with US forces in 2017". 12 April 2018.
  6. ↑ "Reports alleging US Marines conduct training". 14 May 2019.
  7. ↑ "ROCMC's new Combat Support Group". Archived from the original on 2011-01-12. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
  8. ↑ "ROCMC's 66th Brigade Receiving New Tanks". Archived from the original on 2011-04-29. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
  9. 1 2 Forever loyal:The ROC Marine Corps in the Cold War era. Culture.teldap.tw. Taiwan E-Learning and Digital Archives Program. Published February 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 Republic of China Marine Corps. Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  11. 1 2 Newsham, Grant; Gershaneck, Kerry (26 November 2015). Saving Taiwan's Marine Corps. The Diplomat. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  12. ↑ Chung, Jake (28 July 2014). Former marines protest plan to merge corps, army. Taipei Times. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  13. ↑ Everington, Keoni (9 November 2020). "US Marines officially training in Taiwan for 1st time since 1979". www.taiwannews.com.tw. Taiwan News. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  14. ↑ "ROCMC M41 tanks". Archived from the original on 2010-12-04. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
  15. ↑ "ROCMC's 66th Brigade Receiving New Tanks". Archived from the original on 2011-04-29. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
  16. ↑ "ROCMC open base 2010". Archived from the original on 2012-02-14. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
  17. ↑ "Kestrel Rocket". www.ncsist.org.tw. NCSIST. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  18. 1 2 Chen, Kelvin (6 July 2021). "Taiwan Marines conduct air defense drill". www.taiwannews.com.tw. Taiwan News. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  19. ↑ Strong, Matthew (27 January 2021). "Taiwan's Marines unveil locally developed M109 assault boat". www.taiwannews.com.tw. Taiwan News. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  20. 1 2 "Lùhǎikōng jūnfú zhì tiáolì fù tú" 陸海空軍服制條例附圖 [Drawings of the Uniform Regulations of the Army, Navy and Air Force] (PDF). Gazette of the Presidential Palace (6769): 65–67. 7 November 1996. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
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