TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — More than 5,000 military personnel will remain stationed at their post on election day (Jan. 13), a number consistent with previous years, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said on Tuesday (Dec. 26).

This decision seeks to balance military readiness with the voting needs of servicemembers, Colonel Lee Chang-fu (李昌富), deputy director of joint operations planning, said at a press conference. The planned number of personnel on duty is the same as in previous years, with no indication of an increase, he said.

Any contingencies would be addressed according to military regulations, he added.

MND spokesperson Sun Li-fang (孫立方) said the ministry will cooperate with the National Security Council to counter any form of cognitive offense or defense tactics employed by the Chinese Communist Party.

Regarding the detection of Chinese balloons crossing the Taiwan Strait median last week, Sun said the CCP's tactics involve both information dissemination and military actions. As a response, the MND promptly verifies and explains the situation to prevent such incidents from affecting public morale.

Sun added that between October to February or March, northeast monsoons are frequent and an increased number of balloons are detected. Preliminary assessments indicate that these latest balloons serve atmospheric probing purposes, he said.