For nearly two decades after its founding in 1911 on the Chinese mainland, the ROC was plagued by constant war among warlords vying for territory. At the same time, the Chinese Communist Party, established in 1921, was becoming a threat as it gathered force in the context of the Nationalist government’s inability to build a strong and united state.
Amid the political unrest and social turmoil, ROC Founding Father Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925) sent Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) on an expedition to Russia in 1923 to study how the empire had transformed itself into a modern nation.
At Chiang’s suggestion, ROCMA was founded by Sun in 1924 on Whampoa Island in Guangzhou City in southern mainland China, with Chiang as its first superintendent. In the academy’s opening ceremony June 16, Sun delivered an exhortation to the first incoming class that later became the lyrics of the ROC national anthem.
“This fact shows how the fate of ROCMA is closely linked to that of the nation,” said Army Major General Chuan Tzu-jui during an interview with Taiwan Today Sept. 27. Chuan is a ROCMA alumnus and its current superintendent.
The academy went through three relocations that took it to Nanjing in 1927 when the city was designated ROC capital, Chengdu in Sichuan Province in 1937 during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) and finally its present location in Fengshan, Kaohsiung County, after the CCP took over the mainland in 1949.
Since its founding, the academy has provided the nation with roughly 300,000 army officers. More than one-third of them have died in battle, first in uniting the country and later in defending against the Japanese encroachment and protecting the KMT administration during the civil war with the CCP. “These alumni are the ultimate embodiment of the ROCMA spirit, which is sacrifice, unity and duty,” Chuan said.
In its first two decades in Taiwan, the ROC underwent one of its most unsettled periods, but the academy continued to attract high school graduates to its doors. “In a time of great disturbance, with the constant threat from across the Taiwan Strait, serving the country was a natural choice,” Chuan said, drawing on his own experience.
With the hostile standoff between Taipei and Beijing gradually being replaced with dialogue, cross-strait relations eventually thawed. Under these circumstances, one might think that the school must have experienced difficulty recruiting new blood, especially in light of the country’s declining birth rate.
“On the contrary, we are seeing an increasing number of applicants by the year,” Chuan said. While with the changing political and social climate patriotism may now be downplayed in its recruiting campaigns, “a career in the military is becoming a desirable option given the possibilities it offers,” he pointed out.
Other than greater job security with decent compensation and benefits, “the military provides excellent career development for top performers,” Chuan said. After the recent financial crisis, the military is looking more attractive than ever as a respectable profession, he added.
Despite this, “ROCMA is distinctively different from the average college,” the general noted. “Our goal is to provide the nation with top-notch military leaders. Given this goal, our programs are designed with a balanced focus on military training, ethics education, physical education geared toward military activities and general academic studies,” he explained.
Chuan said the school places special emphasis on a code of honor, which is strictly enforced by its student organization. “We are constantly reviewing our cadets’ performance to see if they have the right mindset and personality.” He also stressed the importance of leading by example. As a result, an average 30 percent of new recruits drop out every year. “Those who are able to pass the test will become the backbone of our country’s armed forces,” he noted.
In line with global trends toward gender equality, beginning in 1994 ROCMA began recruiting female cadets, who now account for between 8 and 12 percent of its incoming classes. “Quite a few posts in the military are well suited for female personnel, whose presence is creating more balanced dynamics on our campus,” Chuan pointed out.
As early as the 1970s, the school began exchange programs with its counterparts in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Under such arrangements, more than 100 ROCMA cadets have received training at these overseas institutes.
At the moment, the academy is hosting 17 foreign trainees from Burkina Faso, Gambia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. “Such exchange programs play a contributing role in cementing diplomatic ties with our allies,” Chuan said.
Each year the academy also sends a handful of its top recruits for full-time study and training at U.S. military schools, including the Military Academy at West Point, the Virginia Military Institute and Norwich University in Vermont, among others.
“The opportunity to study at such leading institutions represents a great honor and recognition of academic achievements and military leadership. Through such arrangements, we can also understand the latest developments at our overseas counterparts,” Chuan explained.
Given the government’s stated goal of reducing the scale of ROC armed forces, the general said he expects to see the quality of the academy’s enrollment increase with fewer spots available for prospective applicants.
“My first advice to new trainees is that they should see themselves as committing to a lifelong and honorable duty rather than just going after a decent job.” While there may be no clear-and-present threat of a war, Chuan noted, when the moment comes, “ROCMA cadets will be prepared for their ultimate responsibility. This has never changed, and the conviction will continue to support us going into the future.” (THN)
Write to Meg Chang at meg.chang@mail.gio.gov.tw