Taiwan starts 5-day exercise with supply-delivery drills at main port
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This year's Han Kuang and Wan An exercises will emphasize "unscripted and real combat drills."
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Taiwan guided missile destroyer Ma Kong DDG1805, left, monitors Chinese guided missile destroyer Xi'an DDG15, right, near Taiwan on Thursday, May 23, 2024. (Taiwan Ministry of National Defense/AP)
Taiwan will resume military drills on Monday to see how well it can fight a war as the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China is reportedly conducting a record number of aircraft flybys around the island this month, coinciding with the five-day drill.
Beijing has also expanded the number of coast guards and naval warships stationed nearby, as per Taipei authorities.
The yearly Han Kuang and Wan An exercises, which take place between July 22 and July 26, according to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense, will emphasize "unscripted and real combat drills," including notifications for air defense drills and shelter-in-place exercises.
Since 1984, Taiwan's largest yearly defense exercises, known as the Han Kuang exercises, have been conducted to assess the country's battle readiness in the event of a potential "Chinese encroachment."
Meanwhile, sirens will sound throughout Taiwan between Monday and Friday in observance of the 47th Wanan air raid drills, which have been conducted yearly since 1978. According to a Focus Taiwan warning, locals should take refuge at the closest air raid shelter or remain indoors.
Last week, 37 Chinese aircraft were detected near Taiwan, Taiwan's Defense Ministry reported. The aircraft were reportedly en route to exercises with an aircraft carrier in the Western Pacific.
Taipei reported that "since 0520 today, the Ministry of National Defence detected a total of 37 Chinese aircraft" around Taiwan, comprising fighter jets, bombers, and drones. Thirty-six of these aircraft crossed the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait, the narrow waterway that separates the island from China," the ministry added.
"[The aircraft] headed to the Western Pacific via our southern and southeastern airspace to cooperate with the aircraft carrier the Shandong in conducting 'joint sea and air training'," it said in a statement.
The purpose of the drills is to decrease the possibility of casualties and damage while also increasing public understanding of emergency response protocols. According to Focus Taiwan, they also serve as a means for Taiwan's government to evaluate the emergency response capacities of local administrations.
According to the Ministry of National Defense, the 40th annual Han Kuang exercises will take place countrywide from July 22–26, operating around the clock. The exercises will focus on assessing Taiwan's capacity to safeguard vital infrastructure in the nation's capital and to strengthen the resilience of its essential infrastructure across the island.
Focus Taiwan cited a source as saying it was "important for Taiwan to continue to receive supplies from foreign countries and deliver them nationwide should a cross-strait war break out."
The source reportedly added, "A drill aimed at testing military-civilian cooperation to carry out wartime supply-delivery missions will therefore be staged at a major port in Taiwan during the five-day live-fire drills to ensure links to the outside world could remain open in the event of a Chinese blockade."
US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Charles Brown claimed on Friday that the United States is capable of winning a war against China if Beijing "tried to take" Taiwan, but that it would require "all the nation" to do so.
“Yes, I am fully confident in our force,” he said, speaking at the Aspen Security Forum.
Defense News reported last week that the United States is nearing the approval of a $2 billion security aid package for the Indo-Pacific region, including a staggering $1.2 billion for Taiwan.
In recent years, Taiwan has complained that China has been engaging in so-called gray zone warfare, which aims to exhaust an opponent without resorting to open combat.
Beijing strongly opposes the United States' arms sales to Taiwan, criticizing Washington for aiding what it perceives as efforts to promote "Taiwan independence" through military strengthening. China also resolutely opposes the US interference in Taiwan affairs in any way or under any pretext.
