TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The 40th annual Han Kuang military exercise has been updated to better prepare troops for combat. 

The exercise began on Saturday (July 22) and will forgo pre-rehearsals to accurately simulate different scenarios the military might encounter during actual combat, Liberty Times reported.

A military official said that during the five-day exercise, soldiers will carry out force preservation drills and critical infrastructure protection. They will also bolster sea and air defense and offense and conduct joint coastal operations.

This year, live-fire drills will only be conducted on Kinmen, Matsu, and Penghu. Military units on the main island of Taiwan will carry out exercises without live ammunition. No highway emergency takeoff and landing drills are scheduled.

The military seeks to test its ability to protect Taiwan’s critical infrastructure and communications systems, as well as simulate enemy attacks on rear detachments, 

At a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee in March, then Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) said U.S. military staff would be observing. Teams are sent to observe the exercise every year, he added.