The Ministry of National Defense yesterday announced draft orders for reservists ahead of an annual live-fire exercise today.
An unspecified number of reservists who recently received draft orders have been told to report for duty at the times and locations specified in their draft orders to take part in the Han Kuang No. 32 military exercise, the ministry said.
A report by the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) published yesterday estimated that about 10,000 reservists have been drafted for the five-day drill.
From today to Friday, the military will conduct drills around the nation to test the combat capability of military defenses using scenarios simulating Chinese attacks to take over territories controlled by the Republic of China, the ministry said.
This year’s drills will for the first time see the drafting of information technology specialists to the reserves for exercises planned for possible cyberattacks, it added.
The air force is to conduct live-fire exercises in Penghu County tomorrow, while the navy will conduct live-fire exercises tomorrow and on Thursday, the ministry said.
Anti-landing drills will be held in Kinmen County on Thursday, while the army, navy and air force will hold a joint drill in Pingtung County on the same day, it added.
More than 1,100 reservists reported for duty in Pingtung on Friday to prepare for the nationwide exercises.
It has been reported that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) would inspect Thursday’s drills in Pingtung as commander-in-chief for the first time since she took office on May 20, but this has not been officially confirmed.
The Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau said that the Hsuehshan Tunnel on the Chiang Wei-shui Memorial Freeway (Freeway No. 5) connecting Taipei and Yilan will be closed from 12am to 6am tomorrow and on Wednesday for search-and-rescue exercises in preparation for natural disasters and road accidents.
Local media reported that Wednesday’s closure is designed to test Taipei’s defenses against enemy forces seeking to reach the seat of the government from Yilan.
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