TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense announced Tuesday that urban resilience air raid drills will be held from July 15 to 18 on a rotating schedule by region.
The exercises will include air raid alerts, evacuation drills, and traffic control, per CNA. In addition to issuing air raid sirens, alerts will be sent to mobile phones.
Chu Sen-tsuen (朱森村), director of the Manpower Mobilization Division under the All-out Defense Mobilization Office, provided details on the drills and updates on the Han Kuang 41 exercise and the police service app for locating air raid shelters. Chu said the drill schedule is as follows:
- July 15: Miaoli County, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Yunlin County, Chiayi County, and Chiayi
- July 16: Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung County
- July 17: Yilan County, Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu County, and Hsinchu
- July 18: Hualien County, Taitung County, Kinmen County, Lienchiang County, and Penghu County
The drills will occur between 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. in most regions. For the east and offshore islands, the exercises will be held from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
After the air raid alert is lifted, local governments and civil defense teams will continue with drills for relief stations, first aid centers, and disaster response.
The MND said that the urban resilience drills in Taipei, Taichung, and Tainan will be expanded to integrate exercises for all-out defense mobilization, air defense, and critical infrastructure protection. Elements of the Han Kuang exercises will be integrated into the drills for these cities.
The morning in these three cities will feature war games and air defense exercises. The war games will follow an unscripted, scenario-based format.
The exercises will cover three stages: joint blockade, strike operations, and full-scale combat. The afternoon will involve practical exercises in real-world settings, focused on wartime disaster rescue operations in localized scenarios.
The MND said each local government will select three townships (or districts) to verify that civilians can physically access air defense shelters. The focus will be on shelters in public transportation hubs, commercial areas, and government or institutional facilities.
Chu said that on drill days, each local police department's civil defense control center will issue air raid alerts. These will be broadcast via television, radio, village and borough chiefs, schools, and police patrol vehicles to maximize coverage.
In addition, mobile phone alerts will be sent through the Air Threat Warning System, including links to the locations of nearby shelters. Chu reminded the public that if they hear an air raid alert while driving, they should remain calm and follow the instructions of police and civil defense personnel.
In key verification areas, drivers should pull over, exit the vehicle, and enter the nearest shelter or follow officials' guidance. All government agencies, military units, schools, organizations, companies, factories, and citizens in the drill areas are required to comply with the control measures and participate in the exercises.
