The upcoming live-fire segment of Taiwan’s annual Han Kuang military exercises would focus on testing troops’ response to a decentralized command structure, the updated rules of engagement and unremitting operational scenarios, a military source said yesterday.
The Han Kuang exercises, the nation’s largest military drills, are held annually in two stages. The 40th edition this year began with the tabletop war games phase from April 19 to 26.
The live-fire exercises are scheduled to take place from July 22 to 26, the Ministry of National Defense has said.
Photo: I-Hwa Cheng, Bloomberg
This year’s live-fire exercises would prioritize testing the ability of troops to fend off an unremitting Chinese invasion, how prepared troops are to launch counterattacks based on their own judgement, and their ability to follow the updated rules of engagement, a military source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
In previous years, the five-day live-fire portion of the exercises was primarily conducted during the day, but this year, the drills would also be held at night, as “the enemy could strike at any time of the day,” the source said.
The exercises would include a decentralized command structure, meaning units would have to make their own judgement calls after losing contact with central command, they said.
Each unit should follow the updated rules of engagement when encountering enemy troops, even when they are unable to contact central command, the source added.
Revised rules of engagement were released last year, amid repeated incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone by Chinese warplanes, drones and balloons.
The rules instruct troops on which scenarios they are authorized to use weapons and ammunition to launch counterattacks, the source said.
Unlike in previous editions, there are to be fewer live-fire exercises open to the media.
The military used to give media access to parts of the exercises and invited senior government officials, including the president, to oversee them. The purpose was to keep the public informed about the latest military developments and to assure them that their troops are capable of defending the nation.
That practice serves little practical purpose in terms of preparing for war, the source said.
As a test of the armed forces’ emergency response capabilities, the military would also simulate several scenarios that could occur if a cross-strait war were to break out without prior warning, they added.
This year, the exercises would be as close as possible to actual combat given the rapidly rising “enemy threat” from China, said a senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
China has been staging regular exercises around Taiwan.
“In recent years, the enemy threat has changed rapidly,” the official said. “Our defense combat plan must also be continuously revised on a rolling basis, and the urgency of comprehensive combat training is becoming more important.”
Things might go wrong in the drills, such as vehicle breakdowns, which would be fine, as “these are problems that might be faced in actual combat,” they said.
The exercises would be a continuous experience, as “war does not distinguish between night and day,” the official said.
The defense ministry in April said the war games would practice “kill” zones at sea to break a blockade and simulate a scenario where China suddenly turns one of its regular drills around Taiwan into an attack.
“Only with real-time, on-the-ground verification can we truly understand the capabilities and limitations of our troops,” the official said.
China held two days of its own war games around Taiwan shortly after President William Lai (賴清德) took office on May 20, saying it was “punishment” for his inauguration speech.
China has also been using “gray zone” warfare against Taiwan, which means using irregular tactics to exhaust a foe by keeping them continually on alert without resorting to open combat.
This has included sending balloons over Taiwan and almost daily air force missions in the skies near Taiwan.
The official declined to comment on which parts of the war games Lai would attend or whether there would be US observers.
Right-wing political scientist Laura Fernandez on Sunday won Costa Rica’s presidential election by a landslide, after promising to crack down on rising violence linked to the cocaine trade. Fernandez’s nearest rival, economist Alvaro Ramos, conceded defeat as results showed the ruling party far exceeding the threshold of 40 percent needed to avoid a runoff. With 94 percent of polling stations counted, the political heir of outgoing Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves had captured 48.3 percent of the vote compared with Ramos’ 33.4 percent, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal said. As soon as the first results were announced, members of Fernandez’s Sovereign People’s Party
MORE RESPONSIBILITY: Draftees would be expected to fight alongside professional soldiers, likely requiring the transformation of some training brigades into combat units The armed forces are to start incorporating new conscripts into combined arms brigades this year to enhance combat readiness, the Executive Yuan’s latest policy report said. The new policy would affect Taiwanese men entering the military for their compulsory service, which was extended to one year under reforms by then-president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in 2022. The conscripts would be trained to operate machine guns, uncrewed aerial vehicles, anti-tank guided missile launchers and Stinger air defense systems, the report said, adding that the basic training would be lengthened to eight weeks. After basic training, conscripts would be sorted into infantry battalions that would take
GROWING AMBITIONS: The scale and tempo of the operations show that the Strait has become the core theater for China to expand its security interests, the report said Chinese military aircraft incursions around Taiwan have surged nearly 15-fold over the past five years, according to a report released yesterday by the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Department of China Affairs. Sorties in the Taiwan Strait were previously irregular, totaling 380 in 2020, but have since evolved into routine operations, the report showed. “This demonstrates that the Taiwan Strait has become both the starting point and testing ground for Beijing’s expansionist ambitions,” it said. Driven by military expansionism, China is systematically pursuing actions aimed at altering the regional “status quo,” the department said, adding that Taiwan represents the most critical link in China’s
‘REALLY PROUD’: Nvidia would not be possible without Taiwan, Huang said, adding that TSMC would be increasing its capacity by 100 percent Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) on Saturday praised and lightly cajoled his major Taiwanese suppliers to produce more to help power strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI), capping a visit to the country of his birth, where he has been mobbed by adoring fans at every step. Speaking at an impromptu press conference in the rain outside a Taipei restaurant, where he had hosted suppliers for a “trillion-dollar dinner,” named after the market capitalization of those firms attending, Huang said this would be another good year for business. “TSMC needs to work very hard this year because I need a lot
RSS