The Ministry of National Defense is building dedicated training ranges and simulated environments to facilitate troop familiarity with incoming military platforms and prepare them for urban combat situations and nuclear, biological and chemical warfare, according to a budget proposal it submitted to the legislature late last month.
The ministry has allocated NT$20 million (US$621,350) of the military’s budget for next year to the program, of which NT$9.24 million would be used to construct training grounds to simulate urban combat and nuclear, biological and chemical warfare.
The construction projects are expected to be concluded by 2026, the budget proposal said.
Photo: Huang Chin-hsuan, Taipei Times
The army said an additional NT$12.91 billion, allotted for next year and 2026, would go toward building light-weapons training ranges and provide sufficient ranges to adequately train soldiers.
The ranges would be equipped with state-of-the-art monitoring systems to assist soldiers with posture and accuracy, it said.
In addition, the army’s 203rd Brigade and 104th Brigade have also built a training range for grenade throwing and anti-armor training, it said.
Four new training grounds would also be built to improve the mental fortitude of soldiers, the army said, adding that it is also creating facilities to help serving and reservist forces adjust to high-pressure environments.
Separately, the ministry’s national military museum project, which has been under construction since 2015, is expected to be completed next year.
The museum would replace the now-shuttered Republic of China Armed Forces Museum.
The Executive Yuan originally approved a NT$4.62 billion budget for the program, but the ministry included extra budget items from 2021 through next year to purchase archiving and research equipment totaling NT$839 million, bringing the total project budget to NT$5.34 billion.
The seven-story building, with three levels underground, is expected to be completed by Aug. 18 next year.
Ricky Liu and Associates designed the building, with Ricky Liu (劉培森) as the chief architect, while Hung Sheng Construction and Co, managed by Kuo Pei-hung (郭倍宏), was brought on for the construction.
Additional reporting by CNA
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
The presence of Taiwanese politicians at China’s military parade tomorrow would send the wrong message to Beijing and the international community about Taiwan’s sovereignty and democracy, a national security official said yesterday. China is to hold the parade tomorrow to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. By bringing together leaders of “anti-West” governments such as Russia, North Korea, Iran and Belarus, the parade aims to project a symbolic image of an alliance that is cohesive and unbending against Western countries, the national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu
RSS