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104-725: The United States Marine Corps Color Guard "The Commandant's Four" is the official color guard of the United States Marine Corps . The guard is responsible for serving as the official representative of the Commandant of the Marine Corps in all Marine ceremonies where the national colors as well as the Battle Color of the Marine Corps are needed. The guard, along with the United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps and

208-402: A colour officer, one ensign or senior NCO holding the flag of their respective country as the national colour or the unit colour, and two enlisted personnel assisting the ensign. Active units, military academies, and guards of honour carry sabers in the colour guard, if needed, rifles may be substituted. The guard wears full or combat dress uniform. If there are multiple colour guards marching in

312-434: A detachment of experienced or élite soldiers, to protect their colours. As a result, the capture of an enemy's standard was considered as a great feat of arms. Regimental flags were sometimes awarded to a regiment by a head of state during a ceremony, which was considered a high honour usually reserved for elite units, and colours may be inscribed with battle honours or other symbols representing former achievements. Due to

416-664: A dignitary (such as the President of the Republic ) or a military leader (such as the Chief of the Defence Staff ). Colour guards of the Bundeswehr follow the old German traditions of a three-man colour guard team. A tradition stemming from the days of empire, the colour guard is made up of an ensign, usually a senior NCO (and historically a lieutenant), and two unarmed escorts. In Indonesia ,

520-422: A maneuver derived from the standard counter-column command, generally known as counter march or color reverse march , in order to keep the precedence of flags in order. Other drill movements performed by the colour guard include presenting arms , left and right wheel (turns) marches, eyes right (upon passing the reviewing stand during a parade), casing / uncasing the colour , and fixing/unfixing bayonets (by

624-648: A parade at the same time, one guard is required to march directly behind the first guard. During the Soviet era, the Soviet flag was never allowed to be paraded by a military colour guard, with military and regimental flags only being paraded in colour guards. On occasion during the Soviet era, the Victory Banner was also used in colour guard teams, with the last known occasions being in 1975, 1977, 1985, 1987 and 1990. However, several post-Soviet armed forces have deviated/modified

728-445: A personal symbol of the leader of said units or a symbol for the "state" they represented. Such banners or flags also came to represent a units identity and history. They were therefore treated with reverence as they represented the honour and traditions of the regiment. The loss of a unit's flag was shameful, and losing that central point of reference could also make the unit break up. Therefore, regiments tended to adopt colour guards,

832-521: A senior NCO carrying the regimental standard, with two junior NCOs (sometimes, privates) as escorts. In academies and schools, the colors are carried by the student of the senior class with the highest marks, escorted by the two who follow him. In the Chinese People's Liberation Army , the colour guards include one ensign holding the flag of the People's Liberation Army as the national colour domestically or

936-716: A singular stand of colours on parade, as opposed to the honour guard of the ROCAF, which is more aligned with the traditions of the US Joint Service Honour Guard of the Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region . All colour bearers of formations above company level must be, following US tradition, holding the rank of sergeant or above as a non-commissioned officer, while the colour escorts are lower ranking enlisted personnel. All wear full dress, service dress or battle dress uniforms. Since

1040-675: A total of 1,100 tanks and 1,600 artillery pieces. The number of infantry brigades was gradually reduced from 25 in 2005 to 5 by 2016 and the number of armored brigades from 5 to 4 in 2010, while artillery brigades were increased and army aviation brigades were established in 2015. Also in 2015, the Army's total personnel was reported at 150,000. In 2023 it had 94,000 soldiers. In 2021, it was announced that Army's corps and regional defense commands will be abolished eventually and replaced with combat theater commands to better coordinate ground, air, and naval forces. Currently, each corps and defense command of

1144-581: A total value of US$ 125 million. The United States government indicated its approval of the order with notification to the United States Congress of the potential sale. In mid-September 2007, the Pentagon notified the U.S. Congress of P-3C Orion order, which included 12 Orions and three "spare aircraft", along with an order for 144 SM-2 Block IIIA missiles. The total value of the 12 P-3C Orions were estimated at around $ 1.96 billion and $ 272 million for

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1248-539: Is enshrined in the United States Flag Code and U.S. law. In the U.S. military, individuals or units passing or being passed by uncased (unfurled) colours render honours when outdoors. Individuals who are not part of any formation begin the hand salute when the colours are six paces distant and hold it until they have passed six paces beyond the colours. Civilians are expected to stand at the position of attention with their right hand placed over their heart for

1352-564: Is recited, even though it's not mandated by law to do so, and finally the colour guard march off. Normally, the honour of being part of such colour guards—or as known in Mexico escoltas —is bestowed upon disciplined students with high grades in the latest school year (6th grade in elementary schools, 9th grade in middle schools, and 12th grade in high schools). Sometimes, though, students from lower years or with lower grades may be chosen. Some schools only employ female students. The layout consists of

1456-685: Is the national military of the ROC . Commonly referred as the Taiwanese Armed Forces to distinguish from the People's Liberation Army . It is abbreviated as Kuo -Chün ( Chinese : 國軍 ; Hanyu Pinyin : Guójūn ; Tongyong Pinyin : Guójyūn , literally "National Army"). When the ROC was in power in mainland China , its army was the National Revolutionary Army before being renamed as

1560-512: The de facto end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. The ROCAF has an approximate active strength of between 169,000 and 180,000 personnel, and is capable of mobilizing as many as 2.5 million reservists in the event of national exigencies or a full-scale war. It also has a large pool of former conscripts , with every fit male citizen of the ROC having to serve a year when they reach the military age of 18. The Republic of China Armed Forces

1664-627: The Army , Navy (including the Marine Corps ), Air Force and Military Police Force . The military is under the civilian control of the Ministry of National Defense , a cabinet-level agency overseen by the Legislative Yuan . Formerly known as the National Revolutionary Army (NRA), it was renamed the Republic of China Armed Forces in 1947 due to the implementation of the newly promulgated Constitution of

1768-455: The Colour of the institution. The Pataka are modeled from the former Dutch practice and is led by a colour sergeant positioned at the middle of the guard (rear of the ensign), while the ensign who carries the colour is usually a junior lieutenant (2nd Lieutenant or Ensign). For a battalion level, the colour is carried by a Sergeant / chief petty officer . In the case of a massed colour guard,

1872-684: The F-16 Fighting Falcon and the Dassault Mirage 2000 . The Air Force has reduced its total number of aircraft in the mid-2000s, has been replacing them with more modern fighters. As of 2015, the ROC Air Force had 384 fighters, 19 transports, and 25 aircraft of other types, a reduction from 420 fighters and 40 transport aircraft as of 2005. In 2023 the ROCAF had a total of 35,000 personnel and 577 aircraft (including 471 combat capable), being organized into 28 squadrons. The main components of

1976-765: The Minister of National Defense and the ROC President . Below the Chief are the Executive Vice Chief of the General Staff and two other Vice Chiefs, who oversee the Political Warfare Department and several Deputy Chiefs of the General Staff, each of whom leads a section (J-1 personnel, J-2 intelligence, J-3 operations, J-4 logistics, and J-5 planning). The headquarters of each individual branch are subordinated to

2080-650: The People's Armed Police , which is present during flag ceremonies in Tienanmen Square in Beijing carrying the national flag, was officially attached to the honour guard battalion. Its colour guard squad follows the same format as the guard of honor colour guard squad. In Taiwan, the colour guard tradition of the Republic of China Armed Forces is modeled on the German, Russian and US practice. Until 1976, each military unit sported

2184-771: The United States Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon , makes up the Marine Corps Battle Colors Detachment. The four, along with three other squads, make up the Marine Corps Color Guard Platoon, which platoon renders military honors at ceremonies in the National Capital Region and across the United States and forms a Joint Color Guard for ceremonies at The White House and The Pentagon . Members of

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2288-449: The flag of China when abroad, and two officers or senior NCOs assisting the ensign holding rifles. In the parades of the 1950s, this configuration was present in every unit of the PLA up to the parade of 1959, but with the ensign and escorts drawn from individual formations. Today, only honour guards are granted colour guard duty to represent the whole of the PLA. Being the senior-most branch of

2392-427: The flag of France as the national colour, two non-commissioned officers assisting the ensign, and three enlisted personnel behind to guard the colour. The colour guards of France's military academies tend to wear swords; those of NCO schools, other educational institutions and active units carry rifles instead. This design is used in other countries with Francophone populations. French colour guards render honours on

2496-472: The military of the United States , the colour guard carries the national colour and other flags appropriate to its position in the chain of command . Typically these include a unit flag and a departmental flag ( Army , Marines , Navy , Air Force , Space Force or Coast Guard , plus the National Guard Bureau ( Army and/or Air Force )). In addition to the flag bearers, who are positioned in

2600-566: The theater commands of the People's Liberation Army . As of 2021 the Army's Kinmen and Matsu island commands were outside of this structure, as was the Aviation and Special Forces Command . The Navy is responsible for maritime warfare and protecting the waters of Taiwan, including the offshore islands, as well as shipping lanes . The ROC Navy was built up after 1949 with U.S. assistance, receiving destroyers and frigates that were made or designed during World War II. Some of these were still in use at

2704-601: The 144 SM-2 missiles. A contract was awarded to Lockheed Martin to refurbish the 12 P-3C Orion aircraft for the ROC on 2009-03-13, with deliveries to start in 2012. In mid-November 2007, the Pentagon notified the US Congress about a possible sale to upgrade the ROC's existing three Patriot missile batteries to the PAC-3 standard. The total value of the upgrade could be as much as $ 939 million. The US government announced on 3 October that it planned to sell $ 6.5 billion worth of arms to

2808-568: The 1950s the ROC Marines received training in amphibious warfare from the USMC . Training exercises with the USMC were officially ended in 1979, but were resumed in 2017. More recently, the main purpose of the Marine Corps has been to defend Taiwan by disrupting PRC amphibious operations and to serve as a rapid response force. In 2021 Marines were deployed to Pratas Island when the PLA carried out war games in

2912-544: The 1990s with the understanding that challenging the PRC's control of the mainland was unrealistic, and instead focused on defending Taiwan and its offshore islands. At first this consisted of both offensive and defensive methods, before becoming focused only on the defensive. To reflect this change, a ten-year restructuring plan for the Armed Forces was proposed in 1993 but it was cancelled in 1995 and replaced by another plan, known as

3016-572: The 2000s, there were initial plans to turn the ROCAF into a volunteer armed forces as relations between the ROC and PRC were improving during this time. In 2012, ROC Ministry of National Defence announced that the length of service was reduced to 4 months from the original 1 year in December 2011 for those born after 1 January 1994, due to aims to establish an all-volunteer force. As since, all able-bodied men reaching conscription age will undergo 4 month long military training instead of serving for 1 year, as it

3120-415: The 2000s. Given a shared heritage with Austria and Turkey plus its own traditions, the modern Serbian Armed Forces maintains a colour guard component. Every unit of the Armed Forces has a colour company that includes the colour company commander and the colour guards; which includes one ensign, usually a subaltern officer, two armed senior NCOs serving as colour escorts, and two honour guard platoons guarding

3224-489: The 2023 Philadelphia Latino Film Festival. The film follows the journey of an all-female color guard team at Bel Air High School whose goal is to qualify for the 2020 WGI World Championships , which were ultimately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic , with a performance dedicated to the victims of the 2019 El Paso Shooting . Contemporary Color is a 2016 documentary film directed by Turner Ross and Bill Ross IV. The film

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3328-615: The Armed Forces had to transition from being the armed wing of the KMT to a modern national military. This was a challenge with change resisted by many officers. In January 2000, two defense laws were passed, the National Defense Law and the Ministry of National Defense Reorganization Law, which both took effect in March 2002. The laws created the basis for the civilian control and nationalization of

3432-536: The Armed Forces streamlining program, which was adopted by the government in December 1996. The end of the martial law in Taiwan in 1987 also led to a series of administrative reforms, occurring at the same time as the political changes. These included ending the Kuomintang's political control of the military. The ROC military bureaucracy was traditionally dominated by the Army, which was primarily an infantry force, until

3536-681: The British Army, the Royal Air Force, the Royal Marines and the Royal Navy have several types of colours, there are also colour guards for these colours and these colours and their colour guards are as follows: In the cavalry, the King's Standard or Guidon and the regimental/squadron standard or guidon (for the light cavalry only) are the equivalents to the King's and regimental colours. Colour guards in

3640-661: The Ensign ( 1st Lieutenant /Lieutenant (junior grade) rank leads the formation. In the Army , the Horse Cavalry Detachment ( Detasemen Kavaleri Berkuda ) maintains a mounted colour guard unit. The uniform of the colour guard in Indonesia is all-white, wearing a white ceremonial combat helmet similar to the M1 helmet , white full dress uniforms , white leather flag carrier worn by the ensign, and white parade boots. The colour guard from

3744-533: The French practice. In the Mexican Armed Forces, National Guard and state police formations the colour escort squad is made up of: In Mexican schools, during flag ceremonies—or as known in Mexico juramentos a la bandera or honores a la bandera —the school's colour guard march around the schoolyard while the rest of the students and school staff sing the national anthem; once they finish, the pledge of allegiance

3848-599: The General Staff. The following service commands are directly subordinate to the General Staff. The Coast Guard Administration was created in 2001 from related police and military units and is administered by the Executive Yuan and may be incorporated as a military branch during times of emergency but for the large part remains in civilian control. The Army is the land branch of the ROC Armed Forces tasked with defending Taiwan and its offshore islands. Because of

3952-656: The Kuomintang's ideological and civilian control. The National Revolutionary Army fought in the Northern Expedition from 1926 to 1928 to reunite China under one government for the first time in two decades. It fought in the Second Sino-Japanese War from 1937 to 1945, and then against the Chinese Communist Party in the Chinese Civil War . After the ROC military was defeated by the Communists on

4056-609: The Main Battle Troops (主戰部隊), the active-duty volunteer force that will be responsible primarily for fighting; the Garrison Troops (守備部隊), that will mostly consist of conscripts and be used for defending infrastructure; the Civil Defense System (民防系統), consisting of alternative service personnel that do not want or are ineligible for combat roles and will be used for humanitarian aid, medical assistance, and logistics; and

4160-532: The National Day parade of 1978, the format of unit colour guards in ROCAF formations of battalion size (and of equivalent formations) is: Brigade-level colours (and above) are guided by the left and right escorts only. The joint service colour guard of the ROCAF General Headquarters, today as in the past, is similarly composed but is more larger, with its composition being Colour guards are used in

4264-569: The Navy also had 40,000 personnel. In 2015 the Navy had 4 destroyers, 22 frigates, 1 corvette, 14 landing ships, and 4 diesel attack submarines. The majority of these ships are former U.S. Navy vessels. The Marine Corps is the amphibious warfare arm of the ROC Navy. The original purpose of the Marines was to carry out amphibious landings on the mainland to establish a bridgehead for Army forces, and starting in

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4368-547: The Navy sunk some of their PT boats. The ROC Marine Corps used its amphibious vehicles to deliver supplies to the population of the Kinmen Islands while under artillery fire from the mainland. In the 1960s the ROC sent military personnel to assist South Vietnam during the Vietnam War in non-combat roles. Up until the late 1980s, the ROC military's objective was to eventually retake the mainland. That strategy changed in

4472-614: The Navy, and 90,000 in the Air Force. The RAND Corporation estimated in 2017 that the total number of reservists is 2.5 million, including 60,000 each in the Navy and the Air Force. The Army Reserve would form 27 infantry brigades. These brigades are organized into four categories depending on the level of readiness: A-Level brigades are the highest level, and include active-duty troops that would serve with reservists; B-Level brigades would consist of cadets studying at military schools and academies; C-Level brigades are local units and represent

4576-648: The PLA, the Ground Forces representative serves as the ensign in the service colour guard, with the officer to his/her right being from the Navy and the officer to their left being from the Air Force. Since 1981, the PLA has continued a tradition of the colour guard detail with the PLA flag leading the Beijing Garrison Honor Guard Battalion in military parades. In December 2017, the Beijing Garrison Colour Guard Company of

4680-488: The PRC had deteriorated since at least 2016 when her party came into power. The required four months of training, when it was in effect, was also criticized as being not enough to provide conscripts with military training. The ROC Armed Forces' officer corps is generally viewed as being competent, displaying a high degree of professionalism. However, as a whole, the culture in the officer corps tends to be very cautious and conservative. The military also faces difficulties in

4784-399: The ROC Air Force are the Air Combatant Command and the Air Defense and Missile Command, the latter having five brigades equipped with AA missile systems and several battalions of AA artillery. Its current fighters include the Dassault Mirage 2000 , Northrop F-5 , AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-kuo , and the F-16 Fighting Falcon . Although the PLAAF has both technological and numerical superiority over

4888-457: The ROC Air Force on Taiwan received U.S. military assistance in the Cold War , including over 400 aircraft, which were mostly fighters. Beginning in 1954 with the F-86 Saber , by the late 1980s the ROCAF's fighter force also had the F-100 Super Saber , the F-104 Starfighter , and Northrop F-5 . In the 1990s Taiwan began acquiring more modern aircraft to replace the F-5 and to counter the improving People's Liberation Army Air Force , including

4992-535: The ROC Army is assigned to a combat theater command, and the commanding general of each formation will also lead their theater command in wartime. This was interpreted by some military analysts as reducing the control of the Army over the military command structure and putting a greater focus on joint operations among the three branches. Although they are led by Army generals, in the future Navy and Air Force officers will be appointed as theater commanders. The new commands are comparable to U.S. unified combatant commands or

5096-464: The ROC after the Korean War broke out, and in 1951 the U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) Taiwan was created. The ROC military received extensive support from the United States, with MAAG helping set up dozens of military schools (including each branch having its own staff college and officer academy), providing American vehicles, aircraft, ships, and weapons, and restructuring the ROC Army . In 1957, U.S. Ambassador Karl Rankin described

5200-407: The ROC as having the second largest Asian military allied to the United States. In the late 1950s, the ROC Armed Forces had 600,000 troops, including 375,000 in the Army and 17,000 political officers. During the First Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1954 and 1955, the People's Liberation Army gained air and naval superiority over the ROC Armed Forces near the Dachen and Yijiangshan islands, forcing

5304-399: The ROC military, by subordinating the General Staff to a civilian Minister of Defense, and created new organizations at the MND to improve strategic planning and armaments procurement. The two defense laws were also passed in part because of a scandal during the 1990s about the ROC Navy's decision to purchase certain French frigates , which involved bribery of senior officials and the death of

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5408-399: The ROC to give them up , after artillery fire from the mainland and attacks by PLA Air Force bombers and PLA Navy PT boats. But the ROC prevented the situation from happening again during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1958, when its garrison on the Kinmen Islands held out through an artillery barrage, the ROC Air Force shot down many PLAAF jets while losing far less of its own, and

5512-576: The ROCAF, Taiwan has made efforts to improve its aircraft, including upgrading its F-16 fleet to the most advanced variant, the Block 70 Viper (F-16V). The Military Police are tasked with enforcing military discipline, supporting the civilian police, providing security for government officials and buildings, counterterrorism, and defending the capital of Taipei. The ROCMP is organized into four regional commands (including one for Taipei) which consist of several battalions and other units. In 2023 there were 5,000 MPs. The Military Police Command plans to double

5616-406: The Republic of China . It was also historically referred as the Chinese National Armed Forces (CNAF) prior to the establishment of the People's Republic of China on the Chinese mainland and the gradual loss of international recognition in the 1970s by the United Nations and many countries, including the ROC's close ally, the United States . Until the late 1970s, the military's primary mission

5720-441: The Republic of China Armed Forces in 1947 due to the implementation of the Constitution of the Republic of China . It was also historically referred as the Chinese National Armed Forces ( CNAF ) prior to the establishment of the People's Republic of China . The name continued to be used internationally by a number of countries until the 1970s. The earliest use of the name "Republic of China Armed Forces (中華民國國軍)" can be found in

5824-608: The Reserve System (後備系統), providing former volunteers for the Main Battle Troops and former conscripts for the Garrison Troops. Immigrants from the PRC have to reside in Taiwan for twenty years before they can volunteer for military service. They are exempt from conscription. Since 2021 training for reserve formations has been increased with an emphasis placed on urban and asymmetric warfare. The training period for reservists has been increased to two weeks from 5–7 days. In 2022 reserves numbered 2.31 million. The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine increased support for and understanding from

5928-454: The United Kingdom, with an ensign of second lieutenant rank (or equivalent), armed escorts, and a colour guard commander. All wear full dress uniform as a general rule. The practices of the colour guards for the armed forces of a number of post-Soviet states in the Commonwealth of Independent States are similar to one another, adopting the practice from the former Soviet Armed Forces . Colour guards from these states are typically composed of

6032-411: The United States practice after 1959 ), North Korea and Vietnam have adopted this variant of the Soviet system. A standard template for a colour guard formation in the Romanian Armed Forces follows French precedent but with the addition of a colour officer leading the formation. The front of the guard is made up of the ensign, a junior officer, flanked by two armed or unarmed escorts, together with

6136-433: The active duty personnel of the military in 2023 as 169,000. President Tsai Ing-wen , who took office in 2016, has worked to strengthen the military, including by raising its budget, creating the All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency , and restoring conscription from four months to twelve months. The professional head of the Armed Forces is the Chief of the General Staff , who answers to the civilian command structure under

6240-412: The advent of modern weapons, and subsequent changes in tactics, colours are no longer used in battle but continue to be carried by colour guards at events of formal character. In the Argentinean Armed Forces, the Color Guard is composed by a junior officer (normally the most junior in the unit) carrying the colors, accompanied by two senior NCOs with rifles, who provide the escort. The group is followed by

6344-449: The area. In 2023 there were 10,000 ROC Marines, and they were organized in two Marine brigades, a special forces unit (the Amphibious Reconnaissance and Patrol Unit ), and some support units. The Air Force is responsible for defending Taiwanese airspace and assisting in disaster relief. In recent years the ROCAF had to send aircraft to respond to Chinese planes entering Taiwan's air defense identification zone. Founded on mainland China,

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6448-433: The armed forces are estimated to have between 169,000 and 180,000 active personnel. The number of reservists is estimated at 1.657 million. Starting in 2024, Taiwanese male citizens are required to serve 12 months in the military. According to the December 2022 reform known as the "Strengthening All-People's Defense Military Force Restructuring Plan" (強化全民國防兵力結構調整方案), ROCAF personnel will be organized into four categories:

6552-409: The arms bearers). Liberation Day parade. The colour guard renders honours when the national anthem is played or sung, when passing in review during a parade, or in certain other circumstances. In these cases, the unit and departmental flags salute by dipping (leaning the flag forward). However, with the exception of a response to a naval salute, the United States national flag renders no salute. This

6656-478: The artillery units are technically the lead gun's crew and leader (except in the Honourable Artillery Company which uses both guns and colours) and there are no colour guards in the rifle regiments (nowadays The Rifles ), the Royal Gurkha Rifles (which use the King's Truncheon) and in the Royal Hospital in Chelsea. All of the RN's King's Colours are identical. Within the RN a colour guard unit consists of: A French colour guards typically includes one ensign holding

6760-407: The center of the colour guard, there are two or more individuals who carry rifles and or sabres . This is a symbol that the flag (and its nation) will always be protected. In the U.S., traditionally, the unit's sergeant major is responsible for the safeguarding, care, and display of the organizational colours. The sergeant major is also responsible for the selection, training, and performance of

6864-405: The circumstance and subject to the orders of their commander, members may wear full dress or less formal uniforms . It is mandatory for all members of the colour guard to wear headgear, for example, a garrison cap , beret , or service cap . On occasion, certain colour guards can be horse - mounted . A US colour guard is made up of a "Color Sergeant" carrying the National Colours and serves as

6968-439: The color guard are personally selected by the Commanding Officer of Marine Barracks Washington . The Color Sergeant of the Marine Corps heads the unit and is the Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge . Color guard As long as armies existed there was a need for soldiers to know where their comrades where. A solution to this problem was the carrying of colourful banners or other insignia. Such flags or banners either showed

7072-482: The colour from the rear also armed. Unlike in other countries the colour guard company wears either full or combat dress. The Guard of the Serbian Armed Forces has its colour company wearing dress uniform. In Sweden the colour guard can be composed in three distinct manners: Greater colour guard, smaller colour guard and an officers guard. Each regiment, or military unit that carries a colour, in Sweden sets up its own colour guard. The Swedish military rank of fänrik (and

7176-418: The colour guard is known as "Pataka" an abbreviation from the Indonesian term Pasukan Tanda Kehormatan which is the term used in various uniformed institutions including the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the Indonesian National Police (Polri), the Municipal Police units , etc. The Pataka consists of white-uniformed 9 to 12 guardsmen which are present during ceremonial events carrying and escorting

7280-446: The colour officer, with three rear escorts behind the ensign. From 1949 to 1986 the Army of the Socialist Republic of Romania and Securitate followed Soviet practice in colour guard training and protocols. Since that year the old tradition was restored in the uniformed organizations and thus remains till today in the country. Colours of battalions and brigades are not provided with a colour guard at all since they were introduced in

7384-413: The colours carrying a pace stick . So, the formation (when the colours are combined on parade) is as follows: Aside from presenting arms and sabres, colour guards of the Commonwealth of Nations are expected to lower their flags to the ground in full and regular salutes in ceremonies and parades. Civilians should stand during such times and soldiers are expected to salute them when not in formation. As

7488-399: The command of present arms (présentez arme). On command, the two NCOs and three enlisted will execute present arms, whether it be by presenting their sabre vertically or by putting the right hand over the handle of their weapon while the ensign lowers the national colour/unit colour somewhere close to their legs. On some occasions, the flag is not lowered unless the guard is in the presence of

7592-433: The corresponding cavalry rank of kornett ) was originally intended for the holder of the company flag. This duty was considered so prestigious that an officer was necessary to carry it out. Today, it is a regular officer rank. A expanded colour guard composed of two commissioned officers, called fanförare (ensigns, literally carriers of the colour ) and eight enlisted personnel behind the colour or colours. This stems from

7696-530: The event of a wartime mobilization. It also has the task of preparing the civilian industries of Taiwan to assist the military during a war, and being the coordinator of an all-out defense effort that involves the civilian population. As of 2023, the Reserve was estimated to have a total of 1,657,000 reservists by the International Institute of Strategic Studies, including 1.5 million in the Army, 67,000 in

7800-689: The first Constitution of the Republic of China in the Nanjing Government in 1947. Prior to 1947, the ROC Armed Forces were known as the National Revolutionary Army , which was founded by Sun Yat-sen in Guangdong in 1924. Because the Republic of China was divided by warlords since the 1911 Revolution , he wanted to create a military that would be politically dominated by the Chinese Nationalist Party (the Kuomintang ). Sun Yat-sen accepted

7904-471: The flag-bearer flanked by two escorts—the right and the left escort—on the rear there are two rearguards and finally to the right escort's right is the commander. Normally the shortest members happen to be the rearguards. They wear their school dress or athletic uniform. The Dutch armed forces have similar ranks corresponding to a colour guard, the vaandrig and kornet (aspirant officers who have not been sworn in yet). The colour guard practice mirrors that of

8008-666: The help of the Soviet Union in creating a Soviet-style military and party system. As part of this effort, the Whampoa Military Academy was founded on 1 May 1924 with Soviet trainers and equipment. The Whampoa Academy provided politically indoctrinated officers that were loyal to the ideals of the Revolution and the Kuomintang Party. A Political Department was established in the Army, training political officers to maintain

8112-403: The historical legacy of having once controlled mainland China, the Army has traditionally been the dominant branch of the ROC's military forces, has the largest number of personnel, but it has received the biggest reduction in size from the military reforms of the 1990s. Also part of the reform was changing Army divisions into smaller and more mobile combined arms brigades. In recent years, with

8216-572: The island's strategic emphasis to offshore engagement of invading PRC forces. It is hoped that this will serve to reduce civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure in the event of armed conflict. The ROC's armed forces are equipped with weapons obtained primarily from the United States , France , United Kingdom and the Netherlands . In July 2007 it was reported that the ROC Army would request

8320-475: The jet fighter upgrades were cut back in areas such as high performance jet engines. The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission found that these defense cuts could jeopardize Taiwan's military preparedness. By 2008 the ROC military had a total strength of 260,000. In 2013 the ROC Armed Forces had over 240,000 active troops, which was reduced to 215,000 as of 2015, and then to 180,000 by 2023. The International Institute of Strategic Studies reported

8424-446: The largest category in the reserves, and D-Level brigades would be drawn from reserve officer training courses operated by Reserve Command. Army A-Level and B-level brigades along with Marine reserve units would have a front line role similar to regular forces, while the other Army reserves would be used for static defense of important locations. Navy and Air Force reservists would have a supporting role at naval or air bases. As of 2023

8528-401: The late 1980s, when more emphasis was placed on the Navy and Air Force. In July 1997, the Armed Forces streamlining program was started, reducing the total number of troops and reorganizing Army divisions into more mobile combined arms brigades. In the late 1980s, the Army had 270,000 personnel, out of a total military of over 500,000. The Army received the biggest reduction in size as part of

8632-658: The mainland in 1949, the Nationalists evacuated to Taiwan . The promulgation of the Constitution of the Republic of China in 1947 renamed the National Revolutionary Army to the Republic of China Armed Forces (中華民國國軍). Theoretically the army was nationalized and thus no longer belonged to the KMT. Despite this, the ROC Armed Forces remained in effect a party army of the Kuomintang until the 1990s. The United States began providing military supplies and equipment to

8736-490: The members. The colour guard consists of enlisted members and is commanded by the senior (colour) Sergeant , who carries the National Colors and gives the necessary commands for movements and rendering honours during drill exercises or parade ceremonies. Being assigned to the colour guard is considered an honour due to the fact that these individuals present and carry the symbols of their unit and country. Depending on

8840-553: The military or police usually carries the Lee–Enfield or M1 Garand rifle, but sometimes the M16 , FN FAL or Pindad SS1 rifle is used. In Mexico , an Escolta de la bandera or Escolta is used to describe colour guards and flag parties in the Spanish language . In Mexico these formations are made up of six individuals: the flag party commander and the escort proper of around 5, following

8944-535: The military reform. By 2003, the Army was reduced to 199,237 soldiers, while the other services included 56,284 in the Navy (including Marines), 55,170 in the Air Force, 15,015 in the Combined Logistics Command, and 14,168 in the Military Police. The reduction in the number of troops continued during the presidency of Chen Shui-bian from 2000 to 2008. Taiwan's transition to democracy also meant that

9048-575: The military throughout the Commonwealth of Nations , including Australia , Canada , Jamaica , New Zealand , and the United Kingdom . A colour guard unit typically consists of the standard-bearer , who is of the rank of second lieutenant or equivalent (pilot officer or sub-lieutenant), positioned in the centre of the colour guard, flanked by two or more individuals, typically armed with rifles or sabres. A colour sergeant major typically stands behind

9152-448: The much larger People's Liberation Army Navy by locally building smaller and stealthier craft, such as fast missile boats, corvettes, and submarines, though its destroyers and frigates remain the main component of the fleet. The size of the ROCN has not changed significantly between 2005 and 2023, except for the decommissioning of two destroyers and the addition of 12 corvettes. As of 2023

9256-557: The officer commissioning academies of each service branch. Women have a long history of service in Taiwan's armed forces but were exempted from conscription. In 2022 Chen Yu-lin, a political warfare officer, became the first woman promoted to the rank of two star Lieutenant General. In 2023 15% of active duty military personnel were women. Acquisitions over the next several years will emphasize modern ISR equipment that will vastly improve communications and data-sharing among services. These and other planned acquisitions will gradually shift

9360-401: The officer in charge of navy procurement, and resulted in years of investigations. The effect of the post-1987 military reforms was integrating the military into a democratic political system: before 2000 Taiwan's defense policy was controlled by generals, and since then it has been set by the lawmakers. The military has also been included in the truth and reconciliation process which followed

9464-633: The practices of the former Soviet colour guard; evident with the colour guards of the Turkmen Ground Forces , and the Armed Forces of Ukraine , whose colour guards dip their flags as a form of salute. The customs practiced by the colour guards of the former Soviet Armed Forces was also adopted by the Mongolian Armed Forces , given the historical relationship between the two countries. Other countries such as Afghanistan , Cuba (replacing

9568-488: The public of the effectiveness of well trained and equipped reserves. In 2022 women were included in reserve training. Following the Russian invasion the Ministry of Defense raised the required national stockpile minimum for medication from two months to six months with a up to a years worth of stockpiles mandated for critical drugs. The military runs combat training camps for high school students during school breaks. During

9672-582: The purchase of 30 AH-64D II Apache attack helicopters based on the 2008 defense budget. The United Daily News reported that as many as 90 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters would also be ordered to replace the UH-1Hs then in service. During August, the ROC requested 60 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II missiles , two Harpoon guidance control units, 30 Harpoon containers, 30 Harpoon extended air-launch lugs, 50 Harpoon upgrade kits from AGM-84G to AGM-84L configuration and other related elements of logistics and program support, to

9776-525: The recruitment and retention of junior officers and NCOs due to competition with the private sector. Officers are promoted monthly with ceremonial conferences of rank carried out twice a year. Previously both the promotions and ceremonial conferences had been carried out simultaneously on a biannual cycle. The Republic of China Military Academy , the Naval Academy , and the Air Force Academy are

9880-424: The reduction of conscription, it has been reported that Army brigades may only have 60% to 80% of the soldiers they require. The Army has several hundred tanks, some from the U.S. and some locally made, though all of them are many decades old. In 2015, the Army was organized into 3 army corps, 5 infantry brigades, 3 mechanized infantry brigades, 4 armored brigades, 3 aviation brigades, and 5 artillery brigades, with

9984-550: The same period, and the hand salute applies to uniformed organizations as well (specifically the Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of the USA ). Since recently, veterans are expected to hand salute the colours too, like their military counterparts including personnel not in uniform. " "On Guard: A Story of American Youth" is 2023 documentary film directed by Allen Otto and executive produced by Jim Czarnecki. The film premiered at

10088-631: The size of its current force in the future to increase security in the capital city. The Reserve Command manages the Armed Forces Reserve, and has a headquarters staff of 400. There are three regional reserve commands that each oversee a reserve training center and offices at the county and municipal levels (Northern, Central, and Southern Area Reserve Commands). The Command is responsible for maintaining mobilization plans and training reserve units during peace time, consisting of five to seven days of drill every two years, and more extensive training in

10192-424: The start of the 1990s, when Taiwan started buying modern ships. In that decade Taiwan acquired French La Fayette frigates , Dutch Zwaardvis submarines , and German minehunters, which are still in service as of 2023. It also received Kidd -class destroyers and Oliver Hazard Perry frigates from the United States. Since the 2000s, the ROCN has tried to improve its asymmetric warfare capability to counter

10296-527: The time of king Gustavus Adolphus and the Thirty Years' War when all Swedish regiments had eight battalions. Each battalion contributed one soldier to the common colour guard. If one colour is carried the second officer serves as the colour officer. A smaller colour guard is composed of one commissioned officer and four enlisted soldiers. An officers colour guard is composed of three commissioned officers, one ensign and two officer escorts carrying sabres. In

10400-435: The transition from dictatorship to democracy. In the 21st century as the PRC vastly increased its defense spending, the Republic of China registered the lowest growth in defense spending of the major Asia-Pacific powers. These cutbacks were felt as vital land based systems were cut in order to afford an upgrade of aging fourth generation jet fighters (needed to respond to the PRC's fifth generation fighter programs). And even

10504-492: The unit commander, a unit or command colour bearer, and two colour escorts carrying rifles and/or sabres. If multiple colours are carried, multiple colour bearers may be needed. The U.S. colour guard is formed and marched in one rank at close interval. Since the National Colors must always be in the position of honour on the right, the colour guard must execute a special movement to reverse direction. It does not execute rear march, nor does it execute about face. Rather, it performs

10608-498: Was done previously. Those born prior to 1 January 1994 and were yet to complete their military service were given an option to serve in a non-combatant role for a duration of one year. During the 2010s, when conscription was reduced to four months of training, the military struggled to meet its recruitment targets, especially for combat roles. This policy was reversed in 2022, when president Tsai Ing-wen announced that conscription will revert back to 1 year from 2024, as relations with

10712-409: Was produced as a collaboration between David Byrne , Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey and Josh Penn. Republic of China Armed Forces The Republic of China Armed Forces are the armed forces of the Republic of China (ROC), which once ruled Mainland China and is now currently restricted to its territorial jurisdictions of Taiwan , Penghu , Kinmen , and Matsu Islands . They consist of

10816-478: Was to prepare for an invasion of the Communist -controlled People's Republic of China (PRC) through efforts such as Project National Glory . The military's current primary mission is the defense of Taiwan against a possible military invasion by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of the PRC, which is seen as the predominant threat in the ongoing dispute over the ambiguous political status of Taiwan dating back to

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