Taiwan's defense ministry has declined to give TaiwanPlus further explanation as to why some of its most critical weapons systems were deployed within public view, a move that could be seen as a security risk. Taiwan's Haifeng Missile Brigade is a special mobile unit tasked with destroying enemy ships invading the country.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00These Taiwanese Navy personnel are part of a special unit known as the Haifeng Brigade.
00:13They're tasked with one core mission, destroying enemy ships. And by carrying
00:18missiles in massive trucks, they're able to deploy almost anywhere in the country.
00:24Earlier this year, Taiwan Plus got a chance to see one of the brigades in action
00:28as they conducted a simulated defense of a port against pretend Chinese ships.
00:44Established in the 1980s, the Haifeng Missile Brigade has seen a surge in investment in recent
00:49years, spurred by the military pressure from China, which has the world's largest navy,
00:53and threatens to invade Taiwan. Analysts here in Taiwan say that the Haifeng Brigade
00:58is a core part of Taiwan's asymmetric strategy,
01:01leaning more on missiles to offset the costs of expensive warships.
01:28The Haifeng Brigade was deployed multiple times during several of China's recent large
01:36military exercises around the country, giving the public a glimpse of one of the country's
01:41most secretive weapons systems. Critics argue that the public display poses a security risk,
01:47as the weapons are repeatedly deployed in the same location and are easily trackable due to
01:52their size. A Chinese company has already used dozens of pictures uploaded by Taiwanese media
02:17to map out what they suspect are the system's transportation routes
02:21and where they would be stationed. Taiwan's defense ministry has said that during wartime,
02:25there would be many places they could be deployed.
02:39Analysts from Taiwan's government-backed think tank argue that in an actual conflict,
02:44this massive convoy, which includes the radar, a command center and the missiles,
02:49would never be in the same place at the same time.
03:11While Taiwan navigates how to correctly use and deploy its new systems,
03:15the Navy has plans to expand the Haifeng Brigade across the country.
03:20While the Brigade's weapons seem necessary for Taiwan's defense, it remains unclear if the
03:25military has nailed down the tactics necessary to use them effectively.
03:30Andy Hsueh and Jaime O'Connor for Taiwan Plus.