TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Han Kuang 40 military exercises start this month with computer simulations, taking lessons from Ukraine and the Middle East into account, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Tuesday (April 9).
The computer part of the annual drills will take place April 19-26, with the field exercises scheduled for July 22-26, per CNA. Factors including the current nature of the enemy threat and Taiwan’s military capabilities, and lessons from the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts, will serve as inspiration for the drills.
The computer event will simulate resistance to a blockade and the enemy using the cover of military drills to launch a potential rapid attack. The MND identified civilian roll-on/roll-off ferry ships as key threats, as military forces could easily use them to transport armored vehicles and troops, CNA reported.
The war games will continue for eight days and seven nights, 24 hours a day, instead of the five days and four nights common during previous editions. The MND said special attention would be paid to the importance of asymmetric warfare.
In the July exercises, decentralized decision-making will be important, as the complexity and uncertainty of battlefields is only growing, according to the MND. Using aircraft and ships with land-based missiles to protect shipping and break a naval blockade is also one of the subjects of Han Kuang 40.
The civil defense part is aimed at fighting fires and evacuating and housing civilians during attacks from the air, the MND said. Police, firefighters, and civil defense organizations will learn how to improve their coordination.