The military plans to revive a one-month-per-quarter military training program from next year to boost combat readiness nationwide, a source with knowledge of the matter said on Sunday.
The program was suspended in 1991 because military branches and units have their own training programs and missions.
However, due to increased volatility in the Taiwan Strait over the past few years, the military plans to revive the program and replace the existing one-week-per-month training program, the source said.
The one-month military readiness training program, which is expected to include joint training and exercises between different military units and all three branches of the armed forces, would enhance military combat training and their combat capability, the source added.
With the complicated, multiple missions and different operational models of various military components, it is difficult to implement such an extensive program, the source said, adding that the details of the plan are still being ironed out.
However, the training program would be fleshed out between this month and September, and a review would be conducted in December before a clear direction is determined, the source added.
Meanwhile, a report by the Chinese-language United Daily News on Sunday said that the military has established three special sites for missile tests in Hsinchu County’s Hukou (湖口) and Guansi (關西) townships and in Pingtung County, and has built bombproof storage facilities for missile launch vehicles.
The military has earmarked confidential expenditure for the facilities, the report said.
The Ministry of National Defense has not confirmed the report.
With China’s growing arsenal of guided cruise missiles that allow it to threaten key aspects of Taiwan’s military operations, moving missile launch vehicles to rural areas is normal, said Lu Li-shih (呂禮詩), former captain of navy corvette the Chinchiang.
In the face of the military threat posed by China, “mobility” takes priority in the ministry’s innovative high-tech and asymmetrical military tactics designed to fend off a potential invasion by Chinese forces, a high-ranking military officer has said.
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