The nation’s armed forces would comprehensively enhance their combat capabilities, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday aboard the navy’s Tsoying (左營) destroyer, just hours after the conclusion of the military’s annual Hai Chiang (海強, “Sea Strong”) live-fire exercise near Taiwan proper.
Lai was accompanied by Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄), Navy Commander Admiral Tang Hua (唐華), Surface Combatant Group 62.1 Commander Rear Admiral Wei Chien-chung (魏建中), and other senior defense officials and military officers.
Lai attended a briefing on the drills before inspecting the Tsoying’s combat information center, foredeck, helicopter hangar, and air defense systems and drones, then gave a speech to the naval service personnel.
Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office
The five-day drill tested the fleet’s readiness for potential conflict with China, including joint interception, damage control, formational maneuvers, aerial replenishment and live-fire missions, the Ministry of National Defense said.
Warships in Surface Combatant Group 62.1 deployed Sikorsky S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, Albatross surveillance drones made by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, naval mines, 5-inch guns, 40mm cannons and Chaparral missiles, a video released by the Presidential Office showed.
Lai thanked the naval service members on the ship, saying the Hai Chiang exercise is vital for bolstering the military’s capacity to counter a Chinese blockade and recover from combat damage in wartime.
Naval personnel who took part in the drills should take pride that they have performed superbly as befits the navy’s highest standards of professionalism, skill and diligence, he added.
Surface Combatant Group 62.1 has long served as the guardian of Taiwan’s territorial waters and maritime security, Lai said, adding that he hoped the unit would continue to uphold its tradition of honor, discipline and prowess in battle.
The armed forces must enhance their asymmetric capabilities and innovative defense technologies to counter the long-term threat posed by China and its increasing use of “gray zone” tactics, he said.
The military should prioritize the deployment of precision-guided weapons, uncrewed systems, applied artificial intelligence and other measures to bolster the nation’s defensive resilience, he added.
The armed forces must embrace new training, thinking, equipment and technology by integrating emerging capabilities and techniques to achieve a comprehensive transformation of military power, he said.
Such objectives can only be realized through a whole-of-society effort and a firm commitment within the military to implement necessary reforms across all levels of command, Lai said.
Separately, Koo is expected to brief lawmakers on the progress of the Hai Kun (海鯤), Taiwan’s first domestically built defense submarine, on Monday and Thursday, the Legislative Yuan’s agenda showed.
Koo’s scheduled sessions follow the navy’s confirmation that the prototype submarine has encountered technical problems affecting its diesel-electric propulsion system and operational firmware.
That prevented the Hai Kun from completing key components of its sea acceptance tests — including diving and torpedo-firing trials originally slated for last month — and could lead to significant delays in CSBC Corp’s (台船公司) delivery of the vessel to the navy, which was initially planned for next month.
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