Taiwan Unveils Most Extensive Live-Fire Exercises
(MENAFN) Taiwan initiated the most extensive live-fire segment of its annual Han Kuang military drills on Wednesday, spotlighting strategies to confront China's escalating "gray zone" tactics, media reported.
Spanning 10 days, this year's exercises emphasize "response to gray-zone harassment," "joint anti-landing operations," and "resilient defense on the island." Notably, several U.S.-supplied weapons are making their debut in the drills. Previously, live-fire exercises lasted only five days, making this iteration the longest on record.
On the first day, Taiwanese forces will simulate responses to provocations involving Chinese militia boats and Coast Guard vessels engaging in "harassment" near Taiwan's maritime borders. Naval units will be deployed to specific coastal zones, prepared for any potential escalation, according to Taiwan’s Defense Ministry.
Strategically placed mobile radar systems and anti-ship missile batteries will bolster defenses, while special forces will secure critical infrastructure, including ports and harbors, ensuring societal functions remain uninterrupted.
Maj. Gen. Tung Chi-hsing, director of the Ministry of National Defense’s joint operations planning division, stated on July 1, "for the first three days, the focus will be on joint responses to 'gray zone tactics' – coercive actions that fall short of open conflict."
Following this period, the drills will escalate to what Tung described as the "full-scale combat" phase.
In response, China dismissed the Taiwanese exercises on Tuesday as a “self-deceiving trick” by the island.
Col. Jiang Bin, spokesperson for China’s Defense Ministry, stated that Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party is using the exercise to rally Taiwan residents behind its "Taiwan Independence" campaign, and emphasized that China’s “resolute countermeasures against ‘Taiwan Independence’ will not be deterred, nor will the overwhelming and irresistible trend of China's national reunification be stopped."
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