The Han Kuang military drills entered their seventh day today, with a focus on prolonged defensive operations.
Units simulated a scenario in which the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) successfully established beachheads in an invasion of Taiwan, requiring units to block its advance inland toward Taipei.
In Taipei, the 202nd Military Police Command practiced delaying a simulated PLA advance into the city by blocking and fortifying the Wanban Bridge (萬板大橋) that connects New Taipei City’s Banciao District District (板橋) with Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華), closing the bridge from 11pm yesterday to 6am today.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
The drill began with military police building a four-tier blockade on the bridge within two hours in anticipation of incoming PLA troops.
The temporary 690m-long blockade was made up of roadblocks, civilian buses and barbed wire barricades, as well as newly acquired Hesco bastions: modern, collapsible barriers made of wire mesh and fabric.
Used in Iraq and Afghanistan, these barriers were originally designed for flood control and military fortifications, and have the advantage of accelerating the construction of temporary defenses.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
During the drill, military police first used drones to detect the PLA's deployment remotely before simulating opening fire at the Chinese troops.
The second part of the drill simulated PLA troops breaking through three of the four levels of the blockade set up by Taiwan's forces before being fired on by Taiwanese snipers from high points.
The exercise was a continuation of drills from yesterday, during which soldiers practiced using the city’s MRT system to reinforce positions, reach a target area and engage the enemy.
Also in the north, the 269 Mechanized Infantry Brigade carried out defensive exercises against a simulated enemy landing in the Port of Taipei in New Taipei City's Bali District (八里), seeking to hold key strategic positions.
In Lieyu (Little Kinmen, 烈嶼), which lies to the west of Kinmen County's main island, a garrison was deployed to Kinmen Bridge (金門大橋) to guard critical infrastructure and counter an enemy invasion.
Reservists continued to participate in the military exercises and training in various locations around Taiwan.
In Miaoli County, reservists in the 302nd Infantry Brigade continued simulated combat drills and practiced battlefield medical evacuation operations.
Additionally, civilian urban resilience drills started today in central Taiwan, including Taichung, Miaoli County, Nantou County and Changhua County.
They are to continue tomorrow in the south, on Thursday in northern Taiwan and on Friday in the east.
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