Disaster relief efforts in southern Taiwan yesterday took units participating in the Han Kuang military exercises out of drill mode, while others set up defensive structures as the simulated war games entered their third day.
The first three days of the drills focused on countering China’s “gray zone” tactics — coercive actions that fall short of open conflict — the Ministry of National Defense said last week.
Naval units on Thursday deployed anti-ship missiles and the air force practiced “hot refueling,” while the army conducted a drill simulating Chinese operations aimed at seizing control of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and civil defense mechanisms were activated, such as emergency air-raid drills at PX Mart stores.
Photo: Cheng I-hwa, AFP
Yesterday, ground units mobilized resources and prepared fortifications.
More than 3,000 reservists from the army’s 206th Infantry Brigade simulated the defense of critical supplies against a Chinese attack on a logistics site in Taoyuan.
The entire brigade was mobilized for the Han Kuang exercises for the first time this year, military officials said.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
Yellow, red and green smoke grenades simulated enemy contact, counterattacks and communication disruptions at the logistics site prompting soldiers’ responses.
The soldiers protected transportation and logistics supply points while others evacuated mock casualties.
To enhance the realism of the exercise, the military set up speakers that broadcast the sounds of explosions, and rifle and machine-gun fire to create a more realistic battlefield environment.
In an after-action review, officers told soldiers that upon receiving reports of enemy activity, they need to move quickly to their tactical positions and maintain vigilance in the direction of the incoming threat.
Soldiers should avoid areas where there are overlapping fields of fire, the officers said.
Chieh Chung (揭仲), a researcher at the Association of Strategic Foresight who observed the exercises in Taoyuan, praised the reservist training and its effectiveness in transforming civilians into mission-ready soldiers.
The training scenario was “highly necessary,” as it simulated potential enemy attacks on ammunition supply points and storage sites, Chieh said.
After an inventory of personnel and materiel, the engineering corps constructed defensive works at a site in central Taiwan, while there were reports that fortification exercises were also held in the nation’s south.
In addition to mobilizing military and civilian resources, some units in southern Taiwan assisted with disaster recovery efforts after Typhoon Danas struck the region on Sunday.
The Tainan City Government on Thursday announced that the city’s urban resilience drills scheduled for Wednesday next week would be canceled to prioritize disaster relief and reconstruction efforts, while the Chiayi city and county governments canceled drills on Tuesday next week.
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