Two army brigades launched a week-long live-fire exercise in central Taiwan on Saturday after a six-year hiatus to test the combat readiness of ground troops amid the rising military threat from China.
The seven-day drill carried out by the Taoyuan-based 269th Mechanized Infantry Brigade and the Kaohsiung-based Republic of China (ROC) Marine Corps’ 99th brigade simulates combat scenarios in Chiayi County, with the central Taiwan-based 10th Army Corps Command presiding over the exercise.
According to the scenario, the 269th Mechanized Infantry Brigade is designated the defending “blue team” while the 99th brigade acts as the invading “red team.”
Photo courtesy of Military News Agency
The ongoing drill titled “Chang Ching” (長青), or “evergreen,” is to test the command efficiency of both brigades.
This is the first time since 2017 a Chang Ching drill has been held independently. In the past five years, the army incorporated the Chang Ching drill into other annual military exercises.
Institute for National Defense and Security Research fellow Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) said the army used to hold annual Chang Ching exercise in central Taiwan, Chang Tai (長泰) in northern Taiwan, and Chang Shang (長勝) in southern Taiwan to test troops’ joint-exercise capabilities to combat a Chinese invasion.
The brigade-level exercise tests whether each unit is sufficiently trained on intelligence, command, interception, communication and logistic support in the event of a cross-Taiwan Strait war, Su said.
In the ongoing Chang Ching drill, the 269th Mechanized Infantry Brigade is equipped with variants of the domestic Clouded Leopard armored vehicle, as well as the latest drones, which are expected to undergo rigorous tests during the week-long exercise, Su said.
US military consultants are likely to preside over the exercises with Taiwanese military personnel, he added.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their
RSS