The Ministry of National Defense is to conduct the computer-simulated component of this year’s annual Han Kung military exercises from April 19 to April 26 — three days longer than the war game’s past iterations.
The computer part of the drill would make use of the Joint Theater Level Simulation system, the ministry said in a report submitted to the Legislative Yuan.
The simulations would test the military’s ability to conduct joint warfare operations and integrate civilian capabilities for defense, focusing on countering China’s gray-zone tactics, operational procedures at headquarters and command skills, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Republic of China Army via Military News Agency
On Thursday, the military commenced a tri-service joint operations tabletop wargame, starting with the Second Combat Theater Command, whose area of responsibility covers Hualien and Taitung, the ministry-run Military News Agency said in a report.
This series of drills is likely a precursor to set the stage for the computer-assisted component of the annual exercises next month.
It is intended to enable the armed forces to anticipate potential large-scale actions by the enemy, Lieutenant General Yu Wen-cheng (俞文鎮), commander of Second Combat Theater Command, was cited as saying by the Military News Agency.
Military leaders are to participate in field tours to familiarize themselves with key terrain features and exploitable assets in their area of responsibility, form a common operational picture and devise battle plans, it quoted him as saying.
The Third, Fourth and Fifth Combat Theater Commands, assigned to defend the western part of Taiwan proper, joined the exercise later that day, it said.
Tabletop games are conducted to allow top officers to form a whole-of-battlefield view and an understanding of enemy forces, order of battle, intent, effective strength and tactics, Army Commander General Chung Shu-ming (鍾樹明) was cited as saying during a tour of the Third Combat Theater Command.
Senior officers must be able to use scientific and systematic methods of analysis to assess the threat and formulate an appropriate response that follows the principles of joint warfare, he said.
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716
STAY VIGILANT: People should reduce the risk of chronic liver inflammation by avoiding excessive alcohol consumption, smoking and eating pickled foods, the physician said A doctor last week urged people to look for five key warning signs of acute liver failure after popular producer-turned-entertainer Shen Yu-lin (沈玉琳) was reportedly admitted to an intensive care unit for fulminant hepatitis. Fulminant hepatitis is the rapid and massive death of liver cells, impairing the organ’s detoxification, metabolic, protein synthesis and bile production functions, which if left untreated has a mortality rate as high as 80 percent, according to the Web site of Advancing Clinical Treatment of Liver Disease, an international organization focused on liver disease prevention and treatment. People with hepatitis B or C are at higher risk of
FINE PRINT: Parents should carefully evaluate offers from cram schools that are designed to lower the amount they have to refund later, a New Taipei City official said New Taipei City Consumer Protection Office Director Wang Chih-yu (王治宇) urged parents to check contract content and institutional operations before sending children to cram schools, enrichment classes or day care centers during summer vacation. Closures and refund problems most commonly occur in cram schools, especially language cram schools, many of which have been facing difficulties due to the popularity of online learning apps and studying abroad, Wang said. Cram schools that closed due to financial issues were often unable to refund tuition fees, he said. Under Article 24 of the Rules for the Establishment and Management of Short-term Supplementary Learning Centers (短期補習班設立及管理準則), cram