The nation will start its annual series of military exercises on Friday and they will last until June, the Ministry of National Defense announced yesterday.
The ministry said that Wan-an Drill No. 35 would seek to improve national security through war-game simulations, integrated maneuvering exercises and civil air defense exercises.
Noting that natural disaster prevention and relief have become one of the major missions of the military, All-Out Defense Mobilization Division Director Tsai Chung-cheng (蔡忠誠) said this year’s drill would be combined with the Executive Yuan’s disaster prevention drills, which will be organized by local governments.
The exercises will test the nation’s ability in the areas of mobilization, civil defense, emergency medical care, disaster prevention and rescue, villager evacuation and providing shelter, and other contingency measures, such as infectious disease prevention, as well as boosting cooperation between the military and local governments.
Tsai said war-game simulations would take place between Friday and May 22 and they would target eight types of disaster in line with the potential threats to various parts of the country.
“We have planned for eight types of disaster — typhoons, landslides, floods, earthquakes, nuclear accidents, tsunamis, and air and sea accidents. We have asked each local government to set up two major disaster scenarios,” Tsai said, adding that Keelung would begin the drills on Friday.
“Integrated maneuver exercises” will be held in the afternoon in 11 cities and counties, with “local governments responsible for disaster relief, while the military provides support,” Tsai said.
A “civil air defense” drill will be held in seven regions in northern, central, southern and eastern Taiwan proper, as well as the outlying islands of Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, he said.
The date, time and locations of the drills will be published seven days in advance, the ministry said.
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