DEFENSE/Army to hold live-fire drills on Kinmen from July 19

Taipei, July 15 (CNA) The Army's Kinmen Defense Command will hold a series of live-fire drills on July 19 and 20 as part of efforts to upgrade soldiers' training and boost overall combat effectiveness.

According to a notification issued by the Maritime and Port Bureau, the drills will take place simultaneously at various locations on Taiwan's outlying Kinmen Islands between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on July 19, with a maximum trajectory height of 1,000 feet (305 meters).

Specifically, the live-fire exercises will occur on Houyu and Caoyu Islands, and in waters between Dadan and Erdan Islands, as well as in waters near Leiyu, Shiyu, Fuxingyu, and Dongding Islands.

Live-fire drills are also scheduled to take place on Beiding Island on the following day.

This series of live-fire drills on islands close to China will take place ahead of the annual Han Kuang defense exercises planned to take place on July 22-26.

According to the Ministry of National Defense, this year's Han Kuang exercises will focus on unscripted combat scenarios that will test troops' responses to decentralized command, updated Rules of Engagement, and nighttime operations.

As part of the annual Han Kuang exercises this year, live-fire drills will be conducted in waters south of Kinmen Island between 5:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. on July 23, with a maximum trajectory height of 6,000 feet.