Taiwan's Largest Military Exercise To Emphasize Realistic Combat Operations
Taiwan's annual Han Kuang military exercise will look a little different this year. Soldiers are to be tested on their individual decision-making abilities in the live-fire drills.
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00:00What mission are you carrying out?
00:02Hello, Director.
00:04Donning fatigues, President Lai Ching-teh
00:06greets members of Taiwan's Air Force
00:08in a promotional video for the country's military.
00:11It comes ahead of their biggest test yet.
00:15The annual Hanguang military exercises
00:17are Taiwan's largest drills
00:19and include a live-fire component
00:21that takes place around the country.
00:23It's a chance for the military to practice
00:25mobilizing against its most significant threat,
00:28China.
00:29In a first for a sitting president,
00:31Lai offered the officers and soldiers
00:33encouragement as they prepared,
00:35reminding them of the purpose of the drills.
00:37The Hanguang exercises have been held
00:59for the past 40 years,
01:00and this year's drills are set to be
01:02among the most challenging yet,
01:04with the head of the military announcing
01:07a way to test troops' readiness
01:09in any situation.
01:21Decentralized command is new to the Hanguang exercises
01:24and the Taiwanese military generally.
01:26It gives soldiers more autonomy
01:28in making real-time decisions.
01:30They'll also receive cards
01:31detailing the rules of engagement,
01:33which they can use to aid their decision-making
01:35during the exercise.
01:47As China ramps up military activity
01:49in the Taiwan Strait,
01:50Taiwan also feels the need to strengthen
01:52its self-defense capabilities,
01:54and the Hanguang exercises
01:55will be a test of just that.
01:57Patrick Chen and Tiffany Wong for Taiwan Plus.