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Freeway drill raises logistical issues

`Is the road capacity really good enough for logistical preparations, large vehicles, or to turn the aircraft around?'

Early on Tuesday morning, six of the nation's key fighter jets -- two US F-16s, two French Mirage 2000-5s and two Indigenous Defense Fighters -- successfully completed takeoff and landing drills on emergency runways at a closed section of the Sun Yat-sen Freeway in Huatan Township (花壇鄉), Changhua County, launching this year's Han Kuang military exercises.

The successful drill and the military's timely and well-planned "marketing" and "positioning" of the drill all helped promote public confidence in and support for "total defense" (全民國防), also known as "civilian-based defense" (CBD).

As for the political and military aspects of the exercise, the following four points have to be taken into consideration.

First, in terms of geographic location, is traffic control and the tactical depth sufficient? The military held the first takeoff and landing drills on exactly the same section when the freeway was completed about 30 years ago, and a second drill was held on a section in Rende Township (仁德鄉), Tainan County, last year. The drills were of course held to test the actual results of using national freeways for counter strikes in the face of combat losses.

Both the airstrips are in the countryside, so they can be turned into emergency runways in wartime without too much difficulty. County Road 144 and Township Road 51 near the Changhua runway are quite narrow. Is the road really good enough for logistical preparations, large vehicles, or to turn the aircraft around? These issues should be taken into account.

Second, can the necessary logistical support required for takeoffs and landings come together during times of war? The scenario of using the freeway as a runway is based on the premise that all the airports in western Taiwan have been paralyzed by the enemy's air power. The precondition for such emergency landings is that more than half of our fighters are still undamaged and are capable of fighting back after a massive air raid. In that case, moving oil, ammunition, reinforcements and facilities onto the freeway only amounts to exposing the remaining limited capacity crucial to survival to the enemy's air advantage. Is this appropriate?

Moreover, the Huatan section is situated between the Changhua and Puyen interchanges. Compared with the traffic control during this drill, the traffic will be much worse if a war occurs. Is the section wide enough for tanks and temporary command headquarters? Not to mention that national freeways will have been closed by that time, seriously affecting wartime traffic. All these problems have to be addressed.

Third, is effective air defense possible since such runways are unprotected? Take the Huatan section for example: there are civilian houses, industrial and power facilities and large billboards around the drill control area. Strictly speaking, the section is not broad, and the drill may affect people's livelihoods. This is why the pilots said that they were under huge pressure.

Fourth, once a war breaks out, what will traffic be like when soldiers and materials are mobilized? A serious traffic jam took place right after the drill. According to my personal observations, the traffic jam lasted for more than an hour. Despite many in the crowd being visitors who came specifically to watch the drill, as well as local commuters, wartime traffic has to be calculated rationally.

The Ministry of National Defense's push for new thinking and "total defense" was quite successful. The public's enthusiastic participation also showed that they have high expectations.

Chris Liao is a doctoral student at National Taiwan University's Graduate Institute of National Development.

Translated by Eddy Chang
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