Han Kuang drill firsts: Coast Guard, civilian UAV operators

Taipei, April 24 (CNA) This year's Han Kuang military exercises, Taiwan's largest scale annual drill, will feature Coast Guard officers and civilian Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operators for the first time to make use of all levers of national power in military planning.

The series of exercises will begin with computer-aided war games from April 30 to May 4 before live-fire drills are staged across the country from June 4 to 8, Major General Ye Gou-huei (葉國輝) of the Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced at a briefing Tuesday.

Ye said that during the live-fire part of the drill, the ministry will combine civilian forces and other government branches for the first time to take advantage of all resources available in case of enemy invasions.

For the first time, civilian UAV companies and their operators will join the Army for the live-fire drill; civilian construction companies will also take part in the drill to simulate the repairing of airstrips after airstrikes, he said.

Coast Guard Administration vessels and National Airborne Service Corps aircraft will participate in the drill for the first time as well to test joint combat capabilities, Ye said.

The military will also change its approach toward the computer-aided war games that will precede the live-fire drills.

Ye said this year's computer games will not focus on whether the defense side or offensive side wins the battle but on how the wargame simulations can help decision-makers reconsider their decisions and to improve the armed forces' combat readiness.

Military spokesman Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉) said, meanwhile, that the MND has taken into consideration Beijing's more frequent military exercises over the past year in planning the Han Kuang exercises to make sure the military is well-prepared for all scenarios.