The annual Han Kuang military exercises, which start today, would test the military’s backup operations to ensure there would be no interruption in the chain of command in the event of an attack, a source with knowledge of the matter said yesterday.
The five-day exercises would include a simulation to test the air force’s backup operations and its emergency response capabilities during wartime, the source said.
The drill would focus on a scenario in which the command and control functions of the Joint Air Operations Center on Toad Mountain (蟾蜍山) in Taipei are affected after the center comes under attack, resulting in personnel having to move to an alternate location to ensure that operations can continue, the source said.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
The annual exercises are for the first time to include a drill at Taitung Airport. The exercise, to be held tomorrow, would involve F-16V Block 20 fighter jets and C-130H transport aircraft.
On Wednesday, a one-hour anti-takeover operation is to be held at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport during which commercial air traffic would be suspended.
The drill is the first of its kind to be staged at Taoyuan airport since it opened in 1979.
On Thursday, an anti-landing exercise is to be held on a beach in New Taipei City’s Bali District (八里), at the Port of Taipei and at the mouth of Tamsui River (淡水河).
The Han Kuang exercises, Taiwan’s major war games, have been held annually since 1984 in the form of live-fire drills and computerized war games, with the aim of ensuring Taiwan’s combat readiness in the face of a Chinese invasion.
This year’s tabletop war games were staged in May.
The Tong Hsing exercises, which aim to ensure that the nation’s reserve forces are adequately trained, are also to take place during the five-day annual military drills.
Meanwhile, as part of the Wanan air defense exercise taking place in northern Taiwan today, all transportation in the greater Taipei area would have to stop for 30 minutes, with drivers and passengers required to evacuate public transportation or their vehicles, the Taipei Department of Transportation said.
From 1:30pm to 2pm, all buses, taxis, transfer stations and MRT stations in Taipei would be required to temporarily suspend operations or instruct passengers to evacuate to designated areas, it said.
Buses would not be dispatched during the drill, but those already on the road would be required to stop by the side of the road or at a bus stop, and passengers would be asked to evacuate to the nearest shelter, the department said.
Intercity buses driving on highways would be allowed to keep driving, but would be required to follow the same instructions when they leave the highway, it said.
Transfer stations would not dispatch buses and would turn off the lights inside the building, with people allowed to enter but not leave the station during the drill, it said.
People riding YouBikes would also have to stop by the side of the road, it added.
The Taipei MRT system would continue to operate with passengers allowed to enter but not leave stations, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said.
Taipei MRT vendors, underground malls and the Taipei Arena would close their windows, doors and turn off their lights during the exercise.
Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (臺北大眾捷運) reminded the public that according to the Civil Defense Act (民防法), anyone who contravenes regulations during the drills could face a fine of NT$30,000 to NT$1.5 million (US$960 to US$48,015), adding that stations would urge passengers not to congregate around entrances.
New Taipei Metro Corp (新北大眾捷運) said that during the drill, Danhai Light Rail transit services would be temporarily suspended.
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
‘BOOMING’: ’ The number of partners we have here is incredible. You can see from their stock prices. They’re doing so well, they’re so happy,’ Jensen Huang said Nvidia Corp’s spending in Taiwan has ballooned to about US$150 billion a year, 10 times the US$10 billion to US$15 billion the company spent five years ago, Nvidia chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said yesterday, suggesting Taiwan’s strategic importance in the global artificial intelligence (AI) supply chain. “Taiwan is the epicenter of the AI revolution. This is where the chips come, packaging comes. This is where the systems are made. This is where AI supercomputers were created,” Huang said at a meeting for the company’s employees in Beitou-Shilin Technology Park (北投士林科技園區) in Taipei, the planned site of Nvidia’s Taipei headquarters. “Taiwan
GREATER REACH? Auto parts and wood products would face tariffs of up to 15%, matching those targeting the EU, Japan and South Korea, Vice Premier said The US has announced that preferential tariff treatment for Taiwan’s non-semiconductor Section 232 goods would take effect retroactively from May 1, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The US government yesterday posted a notice on the Federal Register’s public inspection Web site previewing tariff concessions for Taiwan under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Taiwan-US investment after two months of negotiations. The MOU signed on Jan. 15 stipulated three major preferential tariff arrangements: a 15 percent “reciprocal” tariff rate for Taiwan without stacking most-favored nation (MFN) rates; preferential Section 232 treatment for semiconductors and related products; and preferential Section 232 treatment for non-semiconductor
RSS