The annual Han Kuang military exercises that begin today are to feature the debut of Taiwan’s combined arms battalions.
The exercises, aimed at honing the nation’s ability to repel a Chinese invasion, are to last five days and consist of live-fire drills and computer-assisted tabletop training.
The Ministry of National Defense said that some of the nation’s 22 combined arms battalions would see action for the first time in the exercises.
Established in September last year, combined arms battalions bring together soldiers from infantry and cavalry units, liaison officers from different branches, snipers and uncrewed aerial vehicle and missile operators, to form a unit capable of operating independently on the battlefield.
Another highlight in this year’s exercises is to come on Wednesday, when a Chien Lung-class submarine is to test-fire a surface and underwater heavyweight torpedo to sink a target ship, the ministry said.
This would be the navy’s first torpedo test since 2007.
Reserve forces are to participate in live-fire drills for the first time amid increased Chinese military activity around Taiwan, and special forces from the military, police and coast guard would make their first appearance in simulating a rescue of government leaders held hostage by invading forces.
The ministry said the drills would proceed in three stages: maintaining combat capabilities upon an enemy’s first wave of attack, pursuing decisive victory in littoral seas and overwhelming an enemy in landing areas.
The military would not engage in landing drills involving inflatable craft following a fatal incident on July 3 that left two marines dead and one in critical condition, it said.
The drills would instead be performed using amphibious assault vehicles.
In related news, the annual public air drills are to be held tomorrow afternoon, but this year traffic controls would not be enforced during the 30-minute exercise, the ministry said.
Air raid warnings are to sound at 1:30pm tomorrow to signal the start of the drill and at 2pm to mark its conclusion, the ministry said, adding that pedestrians would be allowed to continue on their way during that time.
The ministry said it this year dropped the restrictions on outdoor movement during the exercise to comply with the Central Epidemic Command Center’s COVID-19 prevention guidelines.
Another break from the past is that the Wan An No. 43 drills would be held across Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu on the same day, instead of being held on different days in different parts of the country, it said.
This year’s drill would focus on the air raid warnings’ coverage in rural areas, it added.
The Grand Hotel Taipei on Saturday confirmed that its information system had been illegally accessed and expressed its deepest apologies for the concern it has caused its customers, adding that the issue is being investigated by the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau. The hotel said that on Tuesday last week, it had discovered an external illegal intrusion into its information system. An initial digital forensic investigation confirmed that parts of the system had been accessed, it said, adding that the possibility that some customer data were stolen and leaked could not be ruled out. The actual scope and content of the affected data
‘LIKE-MINDED PARTNER’: Tako van Popta said it would be inappropriate to delay signing the deal with Taiwan because of China, adding he would promote the issue Canadian senators have stressed Taiwan’s importance for international trade and expressed enthusiasm for ensuring the Taiwan-Canada trade cooperation framework agreement is implemented this year. Representative to Canada Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) in an interview with the Central News Agency (CNA) said he was increasingly uneasy about Ottawa’s delays in signing the agreement, especially as Ottawa has warmed toward Beijing. There are “no negotiations left. Not only [is it] initialed, we have three versions of the text ready: English, French and Mandarin,” Tseng said. “That tells you how close we are to the final signature.” Tseng said that he hoped Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday bestowed one of Taiwan’s highest honors on Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Ambassador Andrea Clare Bowman in recognition of her contributions to bilateral ties. “By conferring the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon on Ambassador Bowman today, I want to sincerely thank her, on behalf of the Taiwanese people, for her outstanding contribution to deepening diplomatic ties between Taiwan and SVG,” Lai said at a ceremony held at the Presidential Office in Taipei. He noted that Bowman became SVG’s first ambassador to Taiwan in 2019 and
POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT: Japan and the US are expected to hold in-depth discussions on Taiwan-related issues during the meeting next month, Japanese sources said The holding of a Japan-US leaders’ meeting ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to China is positive news for Taiwan, former Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association representative Hiroyasu Izumi said yesterday. After the Liberal Democratic Party’s landslide victory in Japan’s House of Representatives election, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is scheduled to visit the US next month, where she is to meet with Trump ahead of the US president’s planned visit to China from March 31 to April 2 for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Japan and the US are expected to hold in-depth discussions on Taiwan-related issues during the
RSS