Drawing on newly declassified U.S. records and Chinese-language sources, this is the first comprehensive history of Taiwan's armed forces and their central role in resisting Chinese pressure for more than seventy-five years. It reveals how Taiwan built a resilient military under extreme constraints, forged a lasting U.S. security partnership, and helped shape the island's democratic transformation.
Since 1949, Taiwan's armed forces have faced the daunting task of defending an island less than one hundred miles from China's coast against a far larger adversary. Spanning seventy-five years of conflict, deterrence, and adaptation, the military has not only ensured the island's survival, but has also shaped its political transformation and place in the international system. In On the Brink, author Eric Setzekorn offers the first comprehensive history of Taiwan's armed forces, situating their experience at the center of debates over security in East Asia.
At its core is the account of how Taiwan confronted the threat of the People's Republic of China and built a credible defense under severe financial, technological, and diplomatic constraints. Military leaders and policymakers sustained deterrence through decades of U.S. assistance and cooperation, creating one of Washington's most effective and enduring security partnerships. The resilience of this relationship stands in sharp contrast to troubled American efforts in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, highlighting Taiwan as a rare success story in alliance and defense policy.
The Taiwanese military reaches deeply into Taiwanese society. Conscription touches nearly all households, veterans shape communities, and the gradual integration of women has reflected broader cultural change. During Taiwan's democratic transition, the armed forces remained central, influencing debates over citizenship, identity, and reform. Rather than existing apart from society, the military is embedded in the fabric of everyday life and political change.
Based on newly declassified U.S. records, Chinese-language sources, and the author's background as both a U.S. Army officer and historian, On the Brink weaves military, political, and diplomatic history into a unified narrative. It challenges portrayals of Taiwan as a passive object of great-power rivalry, showing instead how its armed forces forged resilience, supported democratization, and sustained deterrence against China for more than three quarters of a century.
Accessible yet rigorous, this work speaks to historians of modern East Asia, scholars of security studies, and readers concerned with the future of U.S.-China competition. More than a chronicle of past conflicts, it offers a framework for thinking about deterrence, alliance, and strategy in one of the most contested regions of the twenty-first century.
About the Author :
Eric Setzekorn, a historian of East Asian military affairs, served in the U.S. Army and intelligence community before earning his PhD at George Washington University. He has taught at George Mason University and the University of Maryland, Global Campus, and is the author of The Rise and Fall of an Officer Corps, Arming East Asia, and Uncertain Allies. He lives in Falls Church, VA.
Review :
"In On the Brink, Eric Setzekorn has written an unparalleled and extraordinary history of a vital subject that receives less attention than the U.S. and China do in work on Cross Strait relations. This book contributes valuably to the body of research on the subject."--Dr. Brian J. Ellison, author of Quiet Wars: U.S. Naval Human Intelligence Operations during Crises with China, 1931-1965
"Taiwan is not merely a weapons customer, but a bulwark against the Chinese Communist Party. On the Brink: A Military History of Taiwan comes at a pivotal moment and clearly explains how the Taiwanese military has adapted to its country's changing political and societal landscape since 1949. Eric Setzekorn's book is critical for anyone serious about understanding the dynamics in the region and those seeking a peaceful conclusion to the hostility between Beijing and Taipei."--Capt. Brent Sadler, USN (Ret.), author of Naval Power in Action: Seizing the Initiative in the New Cold War with China
"On The Brink is an outstanding study of the evolution of the Republic of China's Armed Forces from the escaped remnants of a Chinese military raised on the mainland and deeply entwined with an authoritarian political regime to a force rooted in Taiwan and supporting the needs of a multiparty liberal democracy. By tracing shifts in strategy, structure, and procurement, as well as the changing nature of civil-military relations, partnership with the United States, and the developing threat from the People's Republic of China, Eric Setzekorn has crafted an invaluable resource."--Rowan Allport, author of War Plan Taiwan: OPLAN 5077 and the U.S. Struggle for the Pacific
"One of the most important history books any American military member or government official will ever read. Eric Setzekorn tells the dramatic story of Taiwan's long-hidden past and illuminates how it connects to the future of global affairs. I devoured On the Brink: A Military History of Taiwan and would strongly recommend it to anyone interested in the future of war, the Taiwan miracle, or both."-- Ian Easton, associate professor at the U.S. Naval War College and author of The Chinese Invasion Threat: Taiwan's Defense and American Strategy in Asia
