ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS
Military Power of the People's Republic of China
2008
Military Power of the People's Republic of China
2008
APPENDIX
China and Taiwan Forces Data
China and Taiwan Forces Data
| Taiwan Strait Military Balance, Ground Forces | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| China | Taiwan | ||
| Total | Taiwan Strait Area | Total | |
| Personnel (Active) | 1.25 million | 440,000 | 130,000 |
| Group Armies | 18 | 8 | 3 |
| Infantry Divisions | 19 | 8 | 0 |
| Infantry Brigades | 24 | 11 | 8 |
| Mechanized Infantry Divisions | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Mechanized Infantry Brigades | 5 | 1 | 3 |
| Armor Divisions | 9 | 4 | 0 |
| Armor Brigades | 8 | 3 | 5 |
| Artillery Divisions | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Artillery Brigades | 17 | 6 | 5 |
| Airborne Divisions | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Amphibious Divisions | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Amphibious Brigades | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Tanks | 6,700 | 2,800 | 1,100 |
| Artillery Pieces | 7,400 | 2,900 | 1,600 |
| Note: The PLA active ground forces are organized into Group Armies. Infantry, armor, and artillery units are organized into a combination of divisions and brigades deployed throughout the PLA's seven MRs. A significant portion of these assets are deployed in the Taiwan Strait area, specifically the Nanjing, Guangzhou, and Jinan MRs. Taiwan has seven Defense Commands, three of which have Field Armies. Each Army contains an Artillery Command roughly equivalent to a brigade plus. | |||
Figure 10. Taiwan Strait Military Balance, Ground Forces
Figure 11. Major Ground Force Units
| Taiwan Strait Military Balance, Air Forces | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| China | Taiwan | ||
| Aircraft | Total | Within range of Taiwan | Total |
| Fighters | 1,630 | 330 | 330 |
| Bombers | 620 | 160 | 0 |
| Transport | 450 | 40 | 40 |
| Note: The PLAAF and the PLA Navy have approximately 2,250 operational combat aircraft. These consist of air defense and multi-role fighters, ground attack aircraft, fighterbombers, and bombers. An additional 1,450 older fighters, bombers and trainers are employed for training and R&D. The two air arms also possess approximately 450 transports and over 100 surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft with intelligence, surface search, and airborne early warning capabilities. The majority of PLAAF and PLA Navy aircraft are based in the eastern half of the country. Currently, 490 aircraft could conduct combat operations against Taiwan without refueling. However, this number could be significantly increased through any combination of aircraft forward deployment, decreased ordnance loads, or altered mission profiles. | |||
Figure 12. Taiwan Strait Military Balance, Air Forces
Figure 13. Major Air Force Units
| Taiwan Strait Military Balance, Naval Forces | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| China | Taiwan | ||
| Total | East and South Sea Fleets | Total | |
| Destroyers | 29 | 17 | 4 |
| Frigates | 45 | 36 | 22 |
| Tank Landing Ships | 26 | 24 | 12 |
| Medium Landing Ships | 28 | 23 | 4 |
| Diesel Submarines | 54 | 32 | 4 |
| Nuclear Submarines | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Coastal Patrol (Missile) | 45 | 35 | 51 |
| Note: The PLA Navy has the largest force of principal combatants, submarines, and amphibious warfare ships in Asia. After years of neglect, the force of missile-armed patrol craft is also growing. In the event of a major Taiwan conflict, the East and South Sea Fleets would be expected to participate in direct action against the Taiwan Navy. The North Sea Fleet would be responsible primarily for protecting Beijing and the northern coast, but could provide mission critical assets to support other fleets. | |||
Figure 14. Taiwan Strait Military Balance, Naval Forces
Figure 15. Major Naval Units
| Inventory of PLAAF Surface-to-Air Missile Launchers | |
|---|---|
| System | 2007 |
| SA-20 (S-300PMU2) | 32 |
| SA-20 (S-300PMU1) | 64 |
| SA-10B (S-300PMU) | 32 |
| FT-2000* | 0 |
| HQ-9 follow-on | 0 |
| HQ-9 | 64 |
| KS-1A | 60 |
| HQ-6 30 | 30 |
| CSA-1 and variants | 400 |
| *Anti Radiation SAM | |
Figure 16. Inventory of PLAAF Surface-to-Air Missile Launchers
| China's Missile Forces | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| China's Missile Inventory | China's Missile Inventory | Estimated Range | |
| Missiles | Launchers | ||
| CSS-2 | 15-20 | 5-10 | 3,000+ km |
| CSS-3 ICBM | 15-20 | 10-15 | 5,400+ km |
| CSS-4 | 20 | 20 | 13,000+ km |
| DF-31 | <10 | <10 | 7,200+ km |
| DF-31A | <10 | <10 | 11,200+ km |
| CSS-5 | 60-80 | 60 | 1,750+ km |
| CSS-6 | 315-355 | 90-110 | 600 km |
| CSS-7 | 675-715 | 120-140 | 300 km |
| DH-10 | 50-250 | 20-30 | 2,000+ km |
| JL-2 | Dvelopmental | 10-14 | 7,200+ km |
| Note: China’s Second Artillery maintains at least 5 operational SRBM brigades; an additional two brigades are subordinate to PLA ground forces – one garrisoned in the Nanjing MR and the other in the Guangzhou MR. All of SRBM units are deployed to locations near Taiwan. | |||
Figure 17. China's Missile Forces
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