TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Taiwanese military forces began the computer simulation phase of the 35th Han Kuang (漢光35號) exercises on Monday, April 22.
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced that this year the simulated invasion and computer-assisted counter measures will include the first ever exercises aimed at combatting disinformation and “fake news” online.
The strategies reportedly involve using Taiwan’s computing capabilities to quickly analyze the online source and geographic location of potentially threatening information.
The exercises, which will include computer-simulated invasion and combat scenarios, are set to take place from Monday to Friday, April 22-April 26.
Testing the nation’s informational warfare and cyber-warfare preparedness are major aims of the computer simulated exercises, as the Chinese Communist Party has been engaging in disinformation campaigns with increasing frequency in recent years.
An MND spokesperson said that the anti-fake news counter measures will include the rapid response and clarification of the disinformation using the MND's own news agencies, like the Youth Daily newspaper and the Military News Agency, in cooperation with emerging alternative media sources. The aim is to create a capable and effective network that can be rapidly activated to deliver trustworthy information in a wartime scenario to quickly counter disinformation campaigns of the CCP.