TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A retired US general reportedly advised Taiwan during its Han Kuang military exercises, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has declined to comment.
From April 5-14, the military conducted tabletop computer simulations as part of the Han Kuang 41 exercises, with a notable adjustment in the existing Taiwan-US military exchange framework. The US dispatched retired four-star General Robert B. Abrams to serve as the “senior observer” for the wargames, military sources said to UDN.
The report noted that this was the first time that Abrams had served as an advisor to Chief of the General Staff Mei Chia-shu (梅家樹) during the Han Kuang exercises. This move is seen as a sign that Taiwan and the US are beginning to explore models for future joint operations.
Abrams is the son of US Army armored commander, General Creighton Williams Abrams Jr. A West Point graduate and armor officer, the younger Abrams served as commander of United States Forces Korea and commander of United Nations Command before retiring in July 2021.
The newly acquired M1A2T Abrams tanks in Taiwan’s arsenal are named after his father. Given Abrams’ joint operational command experience and armored warfare expertise, he is expected to provide valuable suggestions on the tactical use of the new tanks.
During the earlier map-based senior leadership phase of the Han Kuang 41 exercise in February, Major General Jay M. Bargeron, director of the Indo-Pacific Command's Strategic Planning and Policy Directorate, was seated next to Taiwan’s Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄).
Chieh Chung (揭仲), a researcher at the Association of Strategic Foresight, told UDN the presence of a high-ranking retired US officer as an advisor indicates that Taiwan-US military exchanges have advanced to the level of "coordinated planning." However, Chieh also said there is still a long way to go before conducting joint combat operations.
Institute for National Defense and Security Research research fellow Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) told the newspaper that in the past, US participants in Han Kuang exercises typically took on a neutral “observer group” role, observing the confrontation between the red (enemy) and blue (friendly) teams and offering feedback during the After-Action Review.
This time, however, a US participant directly served as an advisor to the commander of the defending forces. This suggested joint participation with the blue team against the red team, which Su described as a development with “profound implications.”
When asked by UDN to comment on the report, the MND said that military exchanges between Taiwan and the US are proceeding according to the annual plan. The ministry said that in keeping with its consistent policy, it does not comment on individual cases.
