Republic of China Army Reequipping Reserve Ground Units with Combat Vehicles, Drones and Artillery

Director of the Republic of China Ministry of National Defence's Strategic Planning Department Lieutenant General Huang Wen-chi has confirmed plans to re-equip Republic of China Army reserve units with armoured vehicles, self-propelled artillery, and unmanned aircraft, as part of broader efforts to bolster the capabilities of reserve forces. He added that procurement targets will be adjusted as needed based on changes in the security situation in the Taiwan Strait. Variants of the locally produced CM-32/33/34 Clouded Leopard eight wheeled armoured vehicle are expected to be procured to equip reserve units, and can be equipped with 81mm and 120mm mortars. Wheeled tanks equipped with 105mm cannons are also expected to be procured for this purpose. 

Unlike the Chinese People’s Liberation Army on the mainland, with which the Republic of China Armed Forces (RoCAF) based on Taiwan Island remain in a state of civil war, the RoCAF relies on a primarily conscript force rather than volunteers. The capabilities of conscripted reserve units has long been in question, however, with training of just four months limiting actual capabilities. Plans to increase conscription to a year, although falling short of standards seen abroad such as in South Korea, is expected to raise standards and allow personnel to be trained on more complex equipment including vehicles and heavy weapons. Military sources have indicated that it is necessary to alter the traditional practice of using manpower to carry light rifles, machine guns, and small-caliber artillery, in order to to allow motorised reserve units to be fielded to allow them to provide a more effective modern warfare capability. 

In July 2025 a new audit of the Republic of China Armed Forces revealed that the Army’s reserve units were missing 30 percent of their equipment, with some categories of equipment such as communications and medical support having fallen below 60 percent availability. This audit reflected poorly on efforts taken over four years to strengthen the reserve system. In parallel to this issue, the Republic of China Ministry of National Defence confirmed reports at the time that CM-32 Clouded Leopard infantry fighting vehicles were suffering from structural cracks due to poor welding and metal fatigue. The Republic of China Armed Forces rely disproportionately heavily on domestically produced equipment largely due to difficulties importing from abroad, with the Republic of China government’s status as an effective non-state actor, due to the international community’s recognition of the rival People’s Republic of China government based in Beijing, making arms imports highly challenging. 

The Republic of China Army’s ground warfare capabilities have long been considered by far the poorest in Northeast Asia. Its armoured units are considered effectively obsolete, which is an issue that recent deliveries of limited numbers of American M1A2 Abrams tanks has only partly mitigated. The Army deploys an estimated 250 locally produced CM-25 and CM-32 infantry fighting vehicles, and approximately 1300 armoured personnel carriers, around half of which are Vietnam War era M113s procured from the United States. The Armed Forces are comprised of approximately 170,000 active personnel and approximately 1,650,000 reservists, which maintain limited obligations until the age of 30.