The military is now better prepared and its combat skills are “more mature” after repeatedly scrambling to see off Chinese forces during their recent drills, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
She was speaking to air force personnel at Hualien Air Force Base, including the 613 Battalion and Fifth Tactical Composite Wing, while touring military bases ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival to present holiday bonuses.
She also visited the navy’s Hai Feng Seventh Squadron’s Guhai Base.
Photo: Chen Yun, Taipei Tmes
The Chinese threat persists, Tsai said.
Over the past month, the Fifth Wing has been on standby night and day, and has flown 36 sorties in response to Chinese aggression, she said.
“In the face of challenges, our military has calmly responded to the enemy’s attempts at intrusion and has tenaciously defended the nation’s security,” the president said, according to a transcript of her remarks released by the Presidential Office.
Photo: CNA
“I believe that after this period of combat-readiness missions, our military’s combat skills are more mature and its combat power is more powerful,” she said.
Giving special recognition to Captain Chou Wan-chun (周婉淳), Tsai said that she flew several sorties, demonstrating that regardless of gender, military branch or position, every soldier and officer shoulders the responsibility to protect their country.
Tsai added that she was “extremely proud” of the armed forces and people can enjoy the Mid-Autumn Festival because of their service.
Photo: CNA
During her speech, Tsai stood in front of an image of a Block-20 F-16 painted like a shark — the same design that was the trademark of the Flying Tigers, the US volunteer force during World War II.
The jet was painted during the 2015 celebration marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Tsai also inspected the “simulated combat situation gunnery training” program being trialed at the Huadong Defense Command’s Nanpu Base in Hualien, which the military plans to implement nationwide in January.
The program is far more challenging than previous shooting exercises, said Chu Ke-yen (褚克彥), captain of the Mechanized Infantry Battalion’s Second Company.
Soldiers during exercises usually remain stationary in set stances, but the program requires them to seek cover and alternate between shooting upright, on one knee and in a prone position.
Chu said that all soldiers received one “dummy” round in their magazine to simulate jamming to test if they remember how to deal with malfunctions and eject the faulty round.
Yesterday’s training simulated firing when closing in on an enemy position, requiring soldiers to shoot at 175m and 75m respectively, Chu said.
The military is also holding two days of drills, which started late yesterday, around Hengchun Peninsula. Apache attack helicopters, Ching-kuo Indigenous Defense Fighters, artillery and drones are to be used in the drills.
The president’s tour came as three more Chinese fighter jets crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, the Ministry of National Defense said.
Taiwan is gearing up to celebrate the New Year at events across the country, headlined by the annual countdown and Taipei 101 fireworks display at midnight. Many of the events are to be livesteamed online. See below for lineups and links: Taipei Taipei’s New Year’s Party 2026 is to begin at 7pm and run until 1am, with the theme “Sailing to the Future.” South Korean girl group KARA is headlining the concert at Taipei City Hall Plaza, with additional performances by Amber An (安心亞), Nick Chou (周湯豪), hip-hop trio Nine One One (玖壹壹), Bii (畢書盡), girl group Genblue (幻藍小熊) and more. The festivities are to
Auckland rang in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, making it the first major city to greet the new year at a celebration dampened by rain, while crowds in Taipei braved the elements to watch Taipei 101’s display. South Pacific countries are the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks struck midnight in Auckland, with a population of 1.7 million, 18 hours before the famous ball was to drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from the 240m Sky Tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand’s
‘IRRESPONSIBLE’: Beijing’s constant disruption of the ‘status quo’ in the Taiwan Strait has damaged peace, stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region, MOFA said The Presidential Office yesterday condemned China’s launch of another military drill around Taiwan, saying such actions are a “unilateral provocation” that destabilizes regional peace and stability. China should immediately stop the irresponsible and provocative actions, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said, after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) yesterday announced the start of a new round of joint exercises around Taiwan by the army, navy and air force, which it said were approaching “from different directions.” Code-named “Justice Mission 2025,” the exercises would be conducted in the Taiwan Strait and in areas north, southwest, southeast and east of Taiwan
UNDER WAY: The contract for advanced sensor systems would be fulfilled in Florida, and is expected to be completed by June 2031, the Pentagon said Lockheed Martin has been given a contract involving foreign military sales to Taiwan to meet what Washington calls “an urgent operational need” of Taiwan’s air force, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. The contract has a ceiling value of US$328.5 million, with US$157.3 million in foreign military sales funds obligated at the time of award, the Pentagon said in a statement. “This contract provides for the procurement and delivery of 55 Infrared Search and Track Legion Enhanced Sensor Pods, processors, pod containers and processor containers required to meet the urgent operational need of the Taiwan air force,” it said. The contract’s work would be
RSS