Taiwan begins military drills as China pressure grows

TAIPEI

Taiwan military personnel conduct a live-fire exercise on Zhongfu Beach as part of a military exercise.

Taiwan’s largest military drills of the year began on Aug. 5, as the island democracy attempts to prepare its population for a potential Chinese invasion.

The annual “Han Kuang” exercise, which runs to Aug. 14, stages combat scenarios for troops and reservists to practice responding to an attack on the island, defense officials say.

Civilians will also be put through their paces during exercises that include a temporary slowdown of mobile internet speeds as well as air raid drills.

China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to seize the island of 23 million people.

Beijing has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan in recent years, deploying fighter jets and warships around the island on an almost daily basis and carrying out large-scale drills.

The Chinese coast guard has also stepped up its grey zone activities, actions that fall short of war, around Taiwan and its outer islands.

On Aug. 5, dozens of reservists spread out along a beach facing the Taiwan Strait and fired Taiwanese-made assault rifles at targets on a shore where Chinese forces could land during an invasion.

“In recent years, we’ve constantly emphasized that the Han Kuang exercise must be closer to real combat scenarios, so that even without actually experiencing war our units can test their real operational capabilities,” a senior defense official said on the eve of the drills, on the condition of anonymity in order to speak to the media.

A key part of this year’s exercise is decentralizing command and control to enable commanders and officers on the battlefield to make operational decisions without waiting for orders.

Another focus is drone “kill chain” operations involving “reconnaissance drones and attack drones operating together with other means of attack,” the defense official said.