TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan has been ranked 24th out of 145 countries in Global Firepower's (GFR) "2024 Military Strength Ranking," slipping one place from its 2023 position. The focus, however, shifts from the ranking itself to Taiwan's domestic reserve of war resources, according to experts.
In GFR's January report, Taiwan received a Power Index (PwrIndx) of 0.33.2, with a perfect score being 0.0000. Meanwhile, Germany has climbed six spots from its 2023 ranking, securing the 19th position with a PwrIndx of 0.2847.
Chieh Chung, a researcher from the Association of Strategic Foresight, pointed out, "Compared to previous years, our country's index performances have not changed much. The reason for the one-place drop is Germany's surge in ranking, potentially driven by increased equipment acquisition due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict in recent years."
Chung added, "Among the 60 reference items used, not many are directly related to training quality, military technology, and joint operational capabilities."
Breaking down Taiwan's overall performance, it is rated as 'Poor' in several categories, including aircraft carriers, fit-for-service, oil and natural consumption, land area, and waterways.
Despite these limitations, experts consider the data as reference points, emphasizing the societal resilience it signifies.
Using Taiwan's coal, natural gas, and oil reserves as examples, Chieh highlighted that these rankings reflect a critical weakness in Taiwan's resilience during wartime. Energy, being both essential for the public and a strategic resource, requires decisions beyond the military's authority.
With President-elect Lai Ching-te set to take office in May, his national identity and strategies will shape cross-strait peace and stability, drawing increased global attention to Taiwan-China relations in the coming four years.
Yang Tai-yuan, a researcher at Tamkang University's Center for Advanced Technology, questioned, "What is our national strategy? We don't have one because no president has proposed it thus far. What are our 'War Termination Criteria'? The defense ministry can only formulate relevant defense policies and strategies once these criteria are established."
Lu Te-yun, former inspector of the Ministry of National Defense (MND), stated, "I believe the newly elected President Lai can undertake more challenging work. Appointing a minister without a military background could facilitate reforms, manpower and resource allocation, free from any constraints. Moreover, this official can boldly adjust the armed forces' organizational structure to align with ideal directions."
The top three in the ranking are the U.S., Russia, and China, each holding a PwrIndx of 0.0699, 0.0702, and 0.0706, respectively.