The US Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) for the first time simulated the defense of Taiwan against an invasion by China, the Military.com Web site reported on Sunday.
The report, titled “Defending a Mock Invasion of Taiwan Signals Shift for Army Special Operations After Years of Counterinsurgency,” said that during its annual combat exercise last week, the USASOC landed Chinook helicopters on a concrete structure representing Taiwan, at the Range 68 training site in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
“The exercise combined some of the hallmark tactics and weapons that were used during the global war on terror with other tools, reflecting a seismic shift for the command as it prepares for potential conflict against major military rivals,” it wrote.
Photo: US Army Special Operations Command’s Facebook page
USASOC Commander Lieutenant General Jonathan Braga said the command aims to “prevent World War III.”
An officer speaking to the public ahead of the exercise specifically named the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) as the target of the exercise, saying: “I’m going to receive a brief from my boss giving us a task to conduct an operation to counter the PLA on the island of Taiwan.”
USASOC’s shift in focus was also demonstrated in its foreign-language program, which no longer teaches Pashto and Dari — the official languages of Afghanistan — but instead teaches Ukrainian and Japanese.
During the exercise, soldiers also demonstrated intermediate to advanced command of Mandarin or Russian, the report said.
The exercise included the firing of Carl Gustaf recoilless rifles, sabotaging of tunnels and use of AeroVironment Switchblade drones.
The operatives also practiced capture evasion, recognizing and responding to information warfare, and responding to “gray zone” tactics employed by China and Russia, the report said.
“Staying competitive without escalating to a crisis or direct conflict is a nuanced game of shadows in the gray zone — one that requires a balance that USASOC is trying to maintain,” the report cited Braga as saying.
Civilians also took part in the exercise, playing the role of Taiwanese civilians, who the command would train in the event of a real conflict.
Soldiers led the civilians in simulated attacks on the enemy, the report said.
Some US soldiers who trained Ukrainian civilians also participated in the exercise, it said.
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