The military is set to hold three separate drills involving the army, air force and navy later this month to test the armed forces’ combat readiness, a military source said yesterday.
Starting on Oct. 28, the army is to conduct a brigade-level force-on-force training exercise involving the Armored 586 Brigade of the 10th Army Corps, which is responsible for the defense of central Taiwan, and the 8th Army Corps’ 333 Mechanized Infantry Brigade, based in southern Taiwan.
Running until Nov. 1, one of the major changes to the annual drill codenamed “Chang Tai” (長泰) is that the 19th version would take the form of a non-stop drill over a five-day period. The drill is aimed at testing and training troops across a wider range of scenarios, including nighttime combat.
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFE
The 24-hour training format was previously adopted in late July during the Han Kuang military exercises, the nation’s major annual military drills, although the five-day exercise had to be cut short due to Typhoon Gaemi.
Meanwhile, the navy is also scheduled to launch its annual Hai Chiang (海強) exercises some time from the end of this month or early next month, simulating its defensive strategy in case of an invasion headed by Chinese warships, the source said.
Also beginning on Oct. 28 are the air force’s annual Tien Lung (天龍), or “Sky Dragon,” airborne exercises, which test air-to-air, air-to-sea and air-to-ground combat skills.
The air force’s backbone fighters, namely the F-16Vs, Mirage 2000-5s, and Indigenous Defense Fighters, would participate in the five-day exercises to test their joint warfare capabilities, the source added.
As in previous exercises, the air force would select flying aces in different categories through competitions, including aerial combat and precision flying.
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