The military has designated this year as the "training year," during which a series of joint-forces live-fire exercises will be held to test the results of the modernization of the armed forces over the past few years, the defense ministry said yesterday.
The Hankuang No. 17 exercise is to be the largest of a series of drills to take place during the training year. It is to be held between March and April in both northern and southern parts of the country, the ministry said.
Minor maneuvers planned for the year range from live-fire artillery or anti-aircraft shooting drills to be held at regular intervals, to field exercises between competing units.
Meanwhile, US-made Patriot air defense missiles are scheduled to be test-fired at the same time as the Hankuang No. 17 exercise, according to defense sources. It will be the first time that the Patriot is to be fired on a trial basis outside US territory.
"Due to the upcoming completion of the Chingshih personnel streamlining project this year, the armed forces are getting close to transforming into a new and modern force. We are now at a crucial moment. This is why the ministry is designating this year as a training year," said ministry spokesman Major General Huang Sui-sheng (
"Training programs this year will highlight an increase in the number of joint-forces exercises. They are aimed at upgrading the joint-strike capabilities of the armed forces. Exercises of this kind are to become routine in the future," Huang said.
Huang also gave an explanation as to why this year's Hankuang exercise is to be held earlier than usual, attempting to dispel speculation that there is a connection between the new date for the exercises and plans for a large-scale military parade to be held in the front of the presidential office on Oct. 10, national day. The Hankuang-series exercises, held annually since 1984, used to take place yearly between May and August.
"There are objective considerations for an earlier launch of the Hankuang exercise. In the future, the Hankuang-series exercise will be held at the same time each year -- between March and April," Huang said.
Reasons cited by Huang include a need to determine problems through the exercise, information which is then used as the basis for reviewing and enhancing troop training and for allocating funds over the rest of the year.
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