The former commander-in-chief of the US Pacific Command, Admiral Dennis Blair, has arrived in Taipei to watch the Han Kuang No. 22 wargames which are scheduled to take place this week, according to a local media report yesterday.
"This year's Han Kung computer exercise will simulate a cross-strait war breaking out in 2008, with the Chinese military attempting to land [troops] in Taiwan after launching full-scale missile and air attacks on the country," the Chinese-language newspaper the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times' sister newspaper) reported yesterday.
"The main goal of this year's computer wargames is to test the military's ground combat ability after the military has lost air command," the report said.
The report said the computer simulation will run from tomorrow through Saturday.
The MND declined to confirm the report yesterday.
"Information about the computer wargames will be announced [tomorrow], and I am not able to confirm the media reports now," Ministry of National Defense (MND) Spokesman Rear Admiral Wu Chi-fang (
According to a schedule posted on the Legislative Yuan's Web site, members of the legislature's defense committee are scheduled to observe the computer wargames on Wednesday.
According to the Liberty Times report, Blair will lead a US military delegation that will enter the Hengshan Command Compound to observe the exercises.
The report said Blair, who had in the past two years led US delegations to watch MND computer exercises, recommended that the military not conduct any rehearsals or release any scenarios for the exercise in advance, in order to test the military's ability to deal with emergencies.
While last year's computer exercises focused on a simulation of a Chinese missile and air attack on Taiwan, and a simulation of a naval invasion and air attack in the Taiwan Strait, this year's exercise will examine the military's homeland defense, the report said.
The report said the wargames this year would continue to focus on joint operations, and will openly identify the military's shortcomings.
The MND has adopted for its computer exercises a joint theater-level simulation system (JTLS) introduced by the US in 2004 that used sophisticated computer images.
The JTLS system also allows personnel to remotely link up to the nation's main military command, which means they won't all need to gather at the Heng-shan Command during this year's exercise.
Wu yesterday said the results of the computer exercise will be made public at a press conference.
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday lavished US President Donald Trump with praise and vows of a “golden age” of ties on his visit to Tokyo, before inking a deal with Washington aimed at securing critical minerals. Takaichi — Japan’s first female prime minister — pulled out all the stops for Trump in her opening test on the international stage and even announced that she would nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize, the White House said. Trump has become increasingly focused on the Nobel since his return to power in January and claims to have ended several conflicts around the world,
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
GLOBAL PROJECT: Underseas cables ‘are the nervous system of democratic connectivity,’ which is under stress, Member of the European Parliament Rihards Kols said The government yesterday launched an initiative to promote global cooperation on improved security of undersea cables, following reported disruptions of such cables near Taiwan and around the world. The Management Initiative on International Undersea Cables aims to “bring together stakeholders, align standards, promote best practices and turn shared concerns into beneficial cooperation,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said at a seminar in Taipei. The project would be known as “RISK,” an acronym for risk mitigation, information sharing, systemic reform and knowledge building, he said at the seminar, titled “Taiwan-Europe Subsea Cable Security Cooperation Forum.” Taiwan sits at a vital junction on
RSS