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US experts help with war game

The US has helped conduct a computer-simulated war-game that pitted Taiwan's military against invading Chinese forces, officials said yesterday.

About 60 US military experts and officers monitored the six-day exercise as part of the close military cooperation between the US and Taiwan, Minister of National Defense Lee Jye (李傑) said.

Lee didn't give details of the exercise, which ended Saturday.

According to a local newspaper, however, the game involved a Chinese missile attack while Taiwanese F-16 fighter jets fired US-made AIM-120 mid-range missiles at Chinese Su-30s.

The newspaper report added that the Americans trained Taiwanese officers to use the US-designed computer system in preparation for a joint US-Taiwan simulated war game next year.

This will be the first of its kind involving US troops in a simulated cross-strait conflict.

Beijing did not immediately respond to the latest exercise.

Meanwhile, Vice Minister of National Defense Tsai Ming-hsien (蔡明憲) said the government also hopes Japan would join next year's computer-simulated war-game.

"Peace in the Asian-Pacific region is not a matter of concern to Taiwan and the United States only," Tsai said. "Japan and other Asian countries are also concerned."

In related news, the military will hold annual exercises in August to test combat readiness in the face of what Lee said yesterday was a significantly higher likelihood China would use force to invade the country.

"The likelihood of using force against us has increased significantly," Lee, who took office last month, told reporters.

"In recent years, communist China has injected a large sum of money into its defense budget and is rapidly expanding its military," Lee said.

"It is likely to become a regional hegemon," he added.

The US has said China acquired more sophisticated missiles, satellite-disrupting lasers and underground facilities in an aggressive military build-up last year aimed at winning a possible conflict with Taiwan.

Lee called for support for an US$18 billion special budget to buy Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) anti-missile systems, submarines and anti-submarine aircraft.

He said he would resign if an arms package offered by US President George W. Bush in 2001 was rejected by the legislature.

Lee also said the air force will practice emergency landing on a freeway for the first time in 25 years.

The scenario of the drill is that Taiwan's airports may be destroyed should war break out with China, and that freeways may have to be used for emergency landings.

Lee said the drills would take place between late July and early August.

Several kilometers of the freeway have been repaired and a section will be shut down for half a day, defense ministry sources said.

Chief of the General Staff General Li Tien-yu (李天羽), who was one of the two pilots who made an unprecedented freeway landing 25 years ago, said "it is necessary if Taiwan is to beef up its national defense."
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