Taiwan Expands Military Drills Amid Rising Tensions with China

Taiwan plans to expand its major annual military exercise by activating more reserve brigades as Chinese military presence intensifies. The drill aims to enhance Taiwan's defense capabilities amid growing pressure from Beijing, testing the country's ability to quickly mobilize and deploy reserve forces against potential threats.

Taiwan is set to augment its primary annual military exercise by deploying additional reserve brigades, according to a report by Radio Free Asia. This development comes amid concerns about the increasing number of Chinese military aircraft encroaching into the airspace around Taiwan, a situation that has been exacerbated since President Lai Ching-te took office last year. China views Taiwan as a breakaway province, asserting that unification could be enforced militarily if necessary. Beijing's perception of President Lai as a separatist has led to intensified military drills, economic pressure, and severed diplomatic engagements to undermine his administration.

Deputy Director Su Tong-Wei of Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence stated in a press conference that the upcoming exercises, known as the Han Kuang drills, will mobilize an entire reserve brigade comprising between 2,400 and 3,000 troops for regional defense operations. This exercise, Taiwan's largest annual military drill, is designed to evaluate the nation's defenses against a potential Chinese invasion. As tensions across the Taiwan Strait escalate, the nation's focus on asymmetric warfare is evident through live-fire drills, joint operations, and simulated attacks. Previous iterations of the drill involved only a few hundred reserve troops.

According to defense analysts cited by RFA, this year's exercise targets the assessment of mobilization and operational capabilities of Taiwan's new county-level reserve brigades. Retired Major General Arthur Kuo noted that if these brigades can independently mobilize and train without external aid, they exhibit the capability to effectively and swiftly deploy reserve forces in response to potential threats. Effective command and coordination of brigade-level units, especially when integrating with active-duty troops, demand meticulous planning, extensive rehearsals, and precise execution, according to Kuo's comments to Radio Free Asia.

(With inputs from agencies.)