The ongoing Han Kuang military exercises entered their sixth day yesterday, simulating repelling enemy landings in Penghu County, setting up fortifications in Tainan, laying mines in waters in Kaohsiung and conducting urban combat drills in Taipei.
At 5am in Penghu — part of the exercise’s first combat zone — participating units responded to a simulated rapid enemy landing on beaches, combining infantry as well as armored personnel.
First Combat Zone Commander Chen Chun-yuan (陳俊源) led the combined armed troops utilizing a variety of weapons systems.
Photo: EPA
Wang Keng-sheng (王鏗勝), the commander in charge of the Penghu Defense Command’s mechanized battalion, said he would give the exercise a score of “100 percent.”
Since taking leadership of the unit in May, Wang said he has followed the principle of “one day without war, one day without feeling at ease,” ensuring that participating personnel are sure of their roles.
In Tainan, the army’s 54th Engineer Group conducted a nighttime exercise in constructing defensive fortifications to block a potential enemy advance.
Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times
The unit deployed “Czech hedgehogs,” moved abandoned vehicles into the roadway and installed razor wire barricades, among other measures, to make it difficult for enemy personnel and vehicles to pass.
Some drivers who passed by the area while soldiers set up the fortifications shouted words of encouragement.
It is important to test how quickly fortifications could be erected in a low-light environment, personnel said.
Photo: AFP
The site was cleared by 5am, they added.
In Kaohsiung’s Zuoying District (左營), President William Lai (賴清德) observed a mine-laying exercise and provided personnel with extra meal money to encourage them and show appreciation for their work.
Chang Chia-ming (張家銘), from the navy’s 192nd Fleet’s mine operations squadron, told the president and other officials about the three different types of mines Taiwan uses, all domestically designed and produced.
Photo: CNA
The mines target enemy surface vessels and submarines, Chang said, adding that they are a “shield” for the country.
Mines are cheap to deploy, but expensive and time-consuming to remove as an invading force, Chang said, citing historic examples such as the Korean War and the 1991 Gulf War.
In Taipei, US-made FIM-92 Stinger shoulder-fired missiles made a rare public appearance during early-morning drills in the Taipei MRT system simulating a Chinese invasion.
The exercises featured military police carrying Stingers, machine guns, 40mm grenade launchers and anti-armor rockets, and were held between Shandao Temple Station and Longshan Temple Station, while the MRT system was closed to passengers.
The Ministry of National Defense said the exercises simulated Taiwanese troops using the MRT system to quickly reach a target area and engage the enemy.
Separately, the ministry said that 17 Chinese aircraft were monitored in the airspace around Taiwan between 6am yesterday and 6am today. Of the 17 aircraft, seven crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, it said.
A further eight naval vessels were also spotted in the waters around Taiwan, it added.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would severely threaten the national security of the US, Japan, the Philippines and other nations, while global economic losses could reach US$10 trillion, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) wrote in an article published yesterday in Foreign Affairs. “The future of Taiwan is not merely a regional concern; it is a test of whether the international order can withstand the pressure of authoritarian expansionism,” Lin wrote in the article titled “Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength — How Investments in Resilience Can Deter Beijing.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent to take Taiwan by force
RSS