Taiwan launched its largest annual military exercises on Wednesday, deploying troops, naval vessels, and air defense units for 10 days of combat readiness drills designed to simulate a response to attack.
The Han Kuang 42 exercises, running through 14 August, emphasize decentralized command and control, enabling battlefield officers to make operational decisions without awaiting higher orders. Dozens of reservists fired assault rifles at targets along a beach facing the Taiwan Strait, while the Navy's Coastal Operations Task Force deployed mobile missile vehicles from Kaohsiung to force preservation positions. Civilian readiness will also be tested through air alert drills and temporary mobile internet slowdowns across the island of more than 23 million people.
President Lai Ching-te highlighted the drills at a security forum on Tuesday. The exercises come as China maintains near-daily deployments of ships and aircraft around Taiwan and intensifies coast guard activities near the island's peripheral territories.