Taiwan's 2025 National Defense Report champions whole-of-society defense

On October 9, the Republic of China (Taiwan) Ministry of National Defense (MND) released its 2025 National Defense Report (NDR), the first under President Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) administration.

Framed around the theme "Agile and Resilient Armed Forces, Steadfastly Defending the Nation," the report details Taiwan’s assessment of the international strategic environment, particularly the challenges posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It introduces "Multi-Domain Deterrence and Resilient Defense" as the core operational readiness concept, guided by a broader military strategy of "Defensive Consolidation and Multi-Layered Deterrence."

The report is divided into four chapters: "Strategic Environment," "Solid National Defense," "Cornerstone of Peace," and "Defense Management."

The "Strategic Environment" section highlights the intensifying U.S.-China rivalry, the CCP’s military expansion in the Indo-Pacific, and the direct threats to Taiwan. The "Solid National Defense" chapter outlines how Taiwan’s military is implementing its strategic doctrine, with an emphasis on asymmetric capabilities and decentralized operations.

The "Cornerstone of Peace" chapter underscores ongoing defense cooperation with the United States and other democratic partners. It promotes international security collaboration as part of Taiwan’s role in regional stability.

The "Defense Management" section covers internal defense reforms, including efforts to strengthen defense self-sufficiency, modernize force management, expand whole-of-society defense initiatives, and improve service member welfare.

Compiled in accordance with Article 30 of the National Defense Act, the biennial report aims to provide transparency on Taiwan’s defense goals, capabilities, and strategic posture.


What's New in the 2025 NDR

Compared to the 2023 edition, this year’s National Defense Report (NDR) introduces several important updates. Most notably, it proposes "Multi-Domain Deterrence and Resilient Defense" as the new strategic direction for operational readiness.

The report also elevates international cooperation and all-society defense into separate chapters, placing greater emphasis on President Lai’s "Four Pillars of Peace", which include strengthening national defense, improving economic security, reinforcing partnerships with democratic countries, and maintaining stable, principled cross-strait leadership. It highlights the importance of collective deterrence and nationwide efforts to build defense resilience.

Other key additions include recognizing "Combat Casualty Care" and "Spiritual Combat Power" as distinct components of national defense capabilities. The report also introduces the military’s official response procedures and key measures for handling unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) harassment.

Dr. Hu Jui-cho (胡瑞舟), a retired ROC Army major general and deputy director at the Taiwan Center for Security Studies at National Chengchi University (NCCU), told TCN that the creation of a Defense Innovation Task Force, a first in the report’s history, and the increased focus on whole-of-society resilience are significant highlights.

Hsia Kuang-ya (夏光亞), a non-resident fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) and retired ROC Navy rear admiral, told TCN that the 2025 NDR "fully supports President Lai’s directive to strengthen nationwide defense resilience" both in strategy and guidance.

However, Hsia pointed out that the concept of a resilient homeland—which usually centers on civil defense, counter-terrorism, and disaster response rather than strictly military issues—needs to be grounded within a comprehensive "National Security Strategy."

At present, Taiwan does not have an official, publicly released national security strategy, either by regulation or in an official document.

Hu shared similar views, emphasizing that while the Ministry of National Defense should take the lead in building societal defense resilience, coordination with other government ministries is also essential. He noted that in wartime, the defense ministry is already stretched thin—as seen in the annual Han Kuang exercises, which remain largely military-focused with limited inter-agency integration—highlighting an area that requires further improvement.

Implementation of the NDR will be the key test

Increasing defense spending has become a stated policy goal in Taiwan. In his National Day address this year, President Lai pledged to raise defense expenditure to 5% of GDP by 2030.

However, Dr. Hu said the planning outlined in this year’s report still follows a traditional baseline structure and does not yet reflect the significant increase in defense spending or the associated shifts in budget and resource allocation.

“The real challenge,” Hu said, “is execution, whether these policies can translate into actual improvements in combat power and operational effectiveness.”

Dr. Hu also noted that "Taiwan’s force fill-rate remains insufficient." In May, Minister of National Defense Koo Li-hsiung (顧立雄) told the media that the armed forces aim to reach an 80% fill-rate by the end of the year, meaning it is still below that level today. Hu said addressing this issue will require efforts beyond the scope of the report.



What should be expected for future reports?

This year marks the 18th edition of Taiwan’s National Defense Report since it was codified into law. The report continues to be a key statement of the country’s defense policy.

Hsia Kuang-ya noted that while the report appropriately focuses on the threat from China, it could be strengthened by adding analysis of the PLA’s “9/3” military parade as a demonstration of deterrence capability, its nuclear and strategic weapons posture, the structured nature of Indo-Pak conflict operations as a model for regional warfare, and Taiwan’s corresponding countermeasures.

Dr. Hu suggested that future reports could take cues from foreign defense white papers, citing Japan as an example. He said Japan’s reports discuss future warfighting trends—insights that could help Taiwan better align defense procurement and budgeting with long-term strategic priorities.