The government is planning to hold a small-scale exercise in Tainan on March 27 to assess the nation's civil defense and disaster prevention preparedness, a national security official said.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the planned exercise would be aimed at examining civilians' ability to find air raid shelters and other cover in times of emergency.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
The planned exercise would also involve familiarizing people with government policies on civil defense and helping the public prepare emergency kits and other tools, the official said, without providing further details.
The exercise is aimed at equipping people with the ability to respond to high-intensity conflicts, natural disasters and other pressing scenarios, they added.
It is to build on last year's unscripted tabletop exercises at the Presidential Office, in which officials and experts simulated responses to "gray-zone" operations — coercive actions shy of armed conflict — and emergencies in which Taiwan is on "the verge of conflict" with China.
Such efforts were launched under the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee, an advisory group established by the Presidential Office.
The committee has pledged to enhance Taiwan's resilience by training civilian forces, securing strategic and critical supplies, reinforcing energy and key infrastructure, and ensuring the continued operations of medical, transportation, information and financial facilities.
The official said that following the Tainan drill, the government would proceed with Urban Resilience Exercises from next month to July, which combine the Wan An air raid drills and Min An disaster response drills.
The series of exercises would culminate in the military's annual Han Kuang drills, the official said.
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