TAIPEI: Taiwan launches its largest ever military drills on Wednesday (Jul 9), starting with simulated attacks on its command systems and infrastructure ahead of a Chinese invasion, senior defence officials said.
The early stages of the annual Han Kuang exercises will focus on testing how Taiwan’s military can decentralise command in the event of a crippling communications attack. Over the next 10 days, the drills will expand to assess Taiwan’s combat readiness against a full-scale attempt to seize the island.
“We are learning from the situation in Ukraine in recent years and realistically thinking about what Taiwan might face … in real combat,” said one senior defence official, highlighting the need to protect command and communication systems.
“Commanders have to think what issues their troops might face and they need to pass them down to their subordinates,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the operation.
Cyber attacks and misinformation campaigns are seen by Taiwan as high-intensity “grey zone” actions that are likely to precede a broader Chinese assault.
The annual Han Kuang exercises will this year mobilise the largest number of reservists, some 22,000, and for the first time feature New High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, made by Lockheed Martin LMT.N, along with Taiwan-developed Sky Sword surface-to-air missiles.
China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own and has intensified military pressure around the island over the last five years, including a string of war games and daily patrols.
Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control, and any attack on Taiwan could ignite a broader regional war.
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