As part of a push to strengthen defenses around the capital, the marine corps has deployed more than 100 soldiers and officers of the 66th Marine Brigade to Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), a source with knowledge of the matter said today.
Two weeks ago, a military source revealed that the Ministry of National Defense ordered the marine corps to increase troop counts in the greater Taipei area.
The 66th Marine Brigade has been tasked with protecting key areas around Taipei, with the 202nd Military Police Command also continuing to defend the capital.
Photo courtesy of the Military News Agency
This comes after a 2017 decision by the Ministry of National Defense to station the brigade at the Political Warfare Academy in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投), the first combat unit based in Taipei, the source said.
The personnel currently deployed to the airport are about the strength of a company, another source said on condition of anonymity.
Plans regarding how long troops would remain deployed in the area or whether their remit would expand to jointly protect Taipei’s Boai Special District (博愛特區) alongside military police have yet to be finalized, the source said.
On the eve of Lunar New Year, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) thanked air force, army and navy for their hard work and sacrifices on behalf of the country.
In photographs released by the Military News Agency, soldiers with marine equipment could be seen in the foreground with commercial airliners and civilian buildings in the background, confirming their deployment to the Songshan airport.
To defend against “decapitation strikes” against the capital, the 66th Marine Brigade has been reorganized as a strategic reserve force directly under the command of the general staff to support the 202nd Military Police Command in its defense of Taipei, the source said.
As part of its reorganization efforts to better support the military police presence in Taipei, the 66th Marine Brigade is to follow the example of the US Marine Corps and remove its armor and artillery units, the source said.
In their place, the brigade would add a drone unit, they added.
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