The military conducted two drills on beaches in southern Taiwan yesterday, with one of them featuring a newly deployed locally made landing craft for the first time in an exercise, officials said.
As part of the annual Han Kuang military exercises, the navy assembled a joint force, which included marines and soldiers from the air force and the army, to simulate an amphibious landing in Fangshan Township (枋山), Pintung County.
More than 6,000 troops took part in the drill, with the marines beginning the operation by clearing underwater obstacles with explosives. After fighter jets and attack helicopters came in to provide cover from the air, ships and landing crafts closed in on the shore, dropping off military vehicles to take over the beach.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-Hsien, Taipei Times
According to Captain Chao Yuan-hsun (趙元勳), the speedy Ho Yung (合永) utility landing craft, which was delivered to the navy in October, was being deployed in a drill for the first time. Meanwhile, in a second drill, more than 700 troops, mainly reservists, conducted defensive maneuvers against simulated enemy combatants making an amphibious landing off Greater Tainan.
While 14 CM-11 tanks were deployed in the drill, which was open to the public, many people watching on the sidelines said they did not get the feel of a battlefield because no real shots were fired.
Asked about the decision to play the sound of gunfire on speakers instead of using weapons, military spokesperson Yang Lin-chuan (楊林川) said the drill had achieved its purpose of testing the armed forces.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The issue was also raised by lawmakers from both governing and opposition parties in the Legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee in Taipei yesterday.
Deputy Minister of National Defense Andrew Yang (楊念祖) said that firing missiles or bullets is not the main purpose of the Han Kuang drills, which are more about examining military strengths and the country’s defense needs.
Separately, at the Hsinchu Air Force Base in northern Taiwan yesterday, an exercise to test the nation’s anti-paratroop combat readiness was conducted as part of the Han Kuang military exercises.
More than 200 paratroopers participated in the drill held at the Hsinchu Air Force Base — the base in Taiwan proper that is closest to China — to act as opposing Chinese forces, the Ministry of National Defense said.
The drill also incorporated AH-1W Super Cobra helicopters, C-130 transport planes and dozens of advanced weapons to demonstrate Taiwan’s ability to fend off airborne invaders.
The drill saw more than 1,500 troops mobilized, mainly from the army and the air force, the ministry said.
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
Instead of threatening tariffs on Taiwan-made chips, the US should try to reinforce cooperation with Taiwan on semiconductor development to take on challenges from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a Taiwanese think tank said. The administration of US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose across-the-board import duties of 32 percent on Taiwan-made goods and levy a separate tariff on semiconductors, which Taiwan is hoping to avoid. The Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET), a National Science and Technology Council think tank, said that US efforts should focus on containing China’s semiconductor rise rather than impairing Taiwan. “Without
An SOS message in a bottle has been found in Ireland that is believed to have come from the Taiwanese captain of fishing vessel Yong Yu Sing No. 18 (永裕興18號), who has been missing without a trace for over four years, along with nine Indonesian crew members. The vessel, registered to Suao (蘇澳), went missing near Hawaii on Dec. 30, 2020. The ship has since been recovered, but the 10 crew members have never been found. The captain, surnamed Lee (李), is believed to have signed the note with his name. A post appeared on Reddit on Tuesday after a man