Paper short abstract:

As the polity continues to evolve in Taiwan, so too does the relationship between the Republic of China (ROC) military and society.

Paper long abstract:

Democratization, the growth of civil society, economic and social liberalization, and greater equality in terms of gender and sexual orientation have marked a Taiwan society that is becoming liberal, largely in the same pattern that has taken place in much of the West. As society becomes more open and free, there has been a tendency for government and policymakers to push the military—an important social institution—in that direction as well. The problem arises, however, when Western examples are followed without a proper assessment of whether they are appropriate for local conditions. An example is the push to transition the ROC military to an All-Volunteer Force: this worked in the West because it happened organically and based on exhaustive sociological research conducted prior to implementation. But is it the right thing for Taiwan?

In order to assess the applicability of the Western example, this research uses as its theoretical construct the Postmodern Military Model, a theoretical construct used to describe how civil-military relations transform driven by changes in perceived threat. As developed by US military sociologist Charles Moskos, the PMMM describes the transformations that have taken place in the US military and other armed forces, and aids in understanding the state of civil-military relations. This research assesses the ROC military according to the 11 dimensions of the PMMM to determine the current state of civil-military relations, while also providing an assessment of the model's applicability to the unique context of Taiwan.