Shafaqna Pakistan: Taiwan launched its annual large-scale military exercises on Wednesday to assess commanders’ ability to respond swiftly to unexpected battlefield developments, while also temporarily restricting internet access for the first time during the drills, senior Taiwanese officials said.
The 10-day Han Kuang exercise commenced early in the morning after an underground command centre in Taipei issued the order to begin the manoeuvres. The drills will feature combat-readiness operations, including the dispersal of fighter aircraft and emergency naval deployments, two senior officials familiar with the exercise told Reuters.
For the first time, Taiwan is also adopting a “backbrief” system based on U.S. military practices, under which junior officers repeat mission instructions back to their commanders to confirm understanding and enhance operational coordination. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the exercise.
The move, one of the officials said, is to “ensure commanders and subordinates are in sync on operational intent.”
The drill will also focus on a key wartime concern: that China, which claims Taiwan as its own despite the island’s objections, would try to paralyse command centres, ports, logistics and defence industry sites early in an attack.
China’s defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment. China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.
WARTIME RELOCATION
Held annually since 1984, authorities will for the first time include in the drills the deliberate slowing of mobile internet speeds to test how civilians would communicate if bandwidth became scarce.
The military will simulate the wartime relocation of a major arsenal, mobilise civilian factories and run escort drills off Taiwan’s Pacific coast, as concern grows that Beijing may be rehearsing how to sever the island’s Pacific supply lines from allies as Chinese military pressure intensifies.
“These are all part of a series of toughening exercises — this is no longer a laboratory-like exercise in a vacuum,” said a third senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the operation.
“You are entering a real field environment, facing real bottom-line conditions. We hope the final phase of training reaches that state,” the defence official said.
That is part of Taiwan’s ongoing effort to make its exercises more realistic, following past criticism that some drills were too highly staged.
RESILIENCE DRILLS
The effort has included resilience drills testing how local officials would keep the government running during cascading crises, from earthquakes to a Chinese invasion.
“If the situation does not match the original enemy scenario, what should he do? How should he reassess, readjust, and quickly issue orders?” the defence official said, referring to field commanders who will be tested with “unexpected scenarios” during the drills, which end on August 14.
The drills will mobilise more than 20,000 troops, including about 5,000 reservists.
The military will also introduce an “embedded reporter” mechanism to assess wartime frontline news releases and efforts to counter enemy disinformation, the officials said.
“The emphasis will be on how our entire population, the Republic of China as a whole — especially our citizens — should face war,” the defence official said, using Taiwan’s official name.
Source: Dunya News
