President Tsai Ing-wei (蔡英文), in her role as commander-in-chief, presided over the Han Kuang live-fire drills for the first time after assuming office in May.
Tsai praised troops after watching displays of combat readiness in simulated battle exercises at the Renshou military base in Pingtung County.
The 8th Army Corps, in charge of the defense of southern Taiwan, hosted yesterday’s main activities at its Joint Operations Training Base in Hengchun Township (恆春), with wargames involving troops mobilizing in response to a simulated invasion by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.
Photo: CNA
Tsai watched the drills, applauding a successful execution of the “integrated air-land battle drill,” which saw almost all of the missiles and artillery fire hitting target zones.
After the exercises, Tsai inspected some of the units and delivered an address, saying that upgrading individual soldiers’ equipment is a priority this year and the process has to be accelerated.
“The military will improve if it faces its problems head-on,” Tsai said. “Reform will be achieved if everyone works together, despite the challenges.”
Photo: CNA
“Safeguarding Taiwan and its people is the responsibility of the military,” she said. “We should all work together on that mission.”
“The challenges Taiwan’s defense forces face stem from structural restrictions both outside and inside the military,” she said, adding that the nation must adopt a new military strategy aimed at charting a fresh direction and changing the culture of the armed forces.
Tsai expressed her condolences to the families of four soldiers and officers of the 564th Armored Brigade who died last week after a tank overturned on a bridge and fell into a river while on its way back to the Joint Operations Training Base after a drill.
She promised that the four would be promoted posthumously.
Yesterday’s field exercises were led by the 564th Armored Brigade of the 8th Army Corps, which conducted the joint command operation with the brigade’s mechanized infantry and its tank force, Major General Yang Wei-wu (楊威武) said.
Those units were joined by CM33 Clouded Leopard armored vehicles, CM22 armored personnel and mortar carriers, CM11 main battle tanks and M109A2 self-propelled howitzers, said Yang, who is chief of the 8th Army Corps’ political warfare office.
The units were supported by the 43rd Artillery Command, the Aviation 602nd Brigade and one armored cavalry company, along with a deployment of the Point Defense Array Radar System.
Republic of China (ROC) Air Force F-16 jets provided air cover, along with support from AH-64E Apache helicopters, AH-1W Super Cobra helicopters and one UH-60M Blackhawk helicopter, which can transport vehicles and troops.
It was the first time the Apaches had taken part in Han Kuang exercises after being acquired from the US in a US$1.95 billion deal to procure 30 of the aircraft, with the final batch delivered in October 2014.
The exercises mobilized 143 different weapons systems in 21 categories and saw 7,893 rounds fired from tanks, mortars, flares, missile systems, machine guns, sniper rifles, APILAS — Armor-Piercing Infantry Light Arm System — and a portable, one-shot, 112mm recoilless anti-tank weapon, Yang said.
The ROC Navy was also involved, with a Chi Yang-class frigate from the 168th Fleet striking its target zone from offshore.
In related news, authorities questioned a 42-year-old man surnamed Chang (張), who was arrested for allegedly flying a drone from a residential building near the training base upon Tsai’s arrival.
As of press time last night, authorities were still reviewing photographs taken from the drone and verifying the man’s identity to determine whether he might have intended to gather restricted military information on behalf of foreign nations, including the operations of advanced weapons systems.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
RSS