Taiwan's Army Holds Unscripted Live-Fire Drills in South
Taiwan's army has carried out large-scale live-fire exercises across the country's southwest, emphasizing rapid decision-making and combat readiness. The drills, held in Tainan and Pingtung, featured heavy artillery systems and Thunderbolt-2000 multiple rocket launchers.
Southern Military Exercises: Taiwan Army's Unscripted Drills in the Southwest
REPORTER:
Artillery rips through the early morning sky off the coast of Tainan. The army held a dispersed live-fire exercise across both Tainan and Pingtung on Tuesday, drilling fast-paced, unscripted combat.
REPORTER:
Tested weapons included Thunderbolt-2000 rocket launcher systems, fired for the first time at Pingtung’s Manfeng training ground, confirming long-range capabilities. While these weapons are usually used in training on Taiwan’s east coast, the country’s west presents different challenges for troops.
Su Tzu-yun (DEFENSE ANALYST, INDSR):
As for [Taiwan’s] east coast, there are relatively few places where an enemy force could land so the focus is on smaller-scale live-fire exercises and responding to threats from Chinese naval vessels and aircraft. So there are many “mobile deployment exercises” involving anti-missile and air-defense missile systems.
REPORTER:
But on the densely populated, less mountainous west coast, commanders usually have different strategies.
REPORTER:
This is the first time the army has carried out dispersed firing drills from different locations, at different times. They’re looking to emphasize troops’ command and control capabilities. While previous live-fire drills often gave troops five or six days to prepare and move into position, these units only had one day to strategize and needed to react in real-time to enemy maneuvers.
Su Tzu-yun (DEFENSE ANALYST, INDSR):
This army exercise is what they call a drill with a scenario but no script. In other words, there is a predefined scenario. The assumption is that China might attempt a landing there but there isn’t a detailed script. There isn’t a step-by-step plan for participants to follow or refer to.
REPORTER:
Many members of the public showed up early to watch, highlighting how these exercises both train troops and serve to reassure the public of the army’s willingness to defend the country.
VOXPOP:
It felt like the sky was about to split open, it was really shocking to see that we have weapons like this. It makes me feel confident in Taiwan’s armed forces. They are no joke.
REPORTER:
This all comes less than a month before the nation holds its annual Han Kuang military and civilian exercises. As threats from China grow, Taiwan’s military aims to show it knows how to respond.
Luffy Li and Lery Hiciano, for TaiwanPlus.
