The Ministry of National Defense yesterday announced the outcome of a military exercise held last month in Hengchun (恆春), Pingtung County, saying that four FGM-148 Javelin missiles and 16 BGM-71 TOW missiles had all hit their targets.
Army Infantry Training Command Headquarters Commander Lieutenant-General Chu Yu-shu (朱玉書) said the exercise, codenamed “Tien Ma,” was held at a base in Hengchun on Oct. 16. Infantrymen from around the country participated in the exercise, which was designed for infantry missile units.
Chu said that despite severe weather conditions, including strong winds, all 20 missiles had hit their targets. Video footage of the exercise was shown to the media.
“It was a good thing because we had a chance to practice in bad weather. The data collected from the test firing under severe weather conditions will be extremely valuable for future training purposes,” Chu said.
Asked whether the name of the exercise was designed to flatter the president, Chu said such speculation was irrelevant.
“We started this annual exercise in 2001 and the name was decided then. It has nothing to do with anybody or anything. It is simply an annual exercise for missile troops,” Chu said.
The perfect hit ratio, however, was questioned.
During the video presentation, reporters said that all the targets used during the exercise were stationary and asked whether the troops were also being trained to hit mobile targets.
Chu said the Army's shooters were all well qualified.
Chu said that mobile target training requires stricter safety standards and that the military does not possess any training grounds that fit such requirements. He said the training procedures adopted by the Army were exactly the same as those followed by the US Army for the training of its soldiers.
“The troops were randomly selected from those who have been certified and screened twice at our training command headquarters,” Chu said. “In addition to the live-fire exercises, [the soldiers] all underwent simulator training, which included training on mobile targets.”
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