DEFENSE/Han Kuang drills cut short as troops reassigned to typhoon disaster relief

Taipei, July 25 (CNA) This year's Han Kuang military exercises have been cut short as troops were mobilized to assist in disaster relief in the aftermath of Typhoon Gaemi, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Thursday.

Multiple drills scheduled between noon on Thursday and Friday -- when the five-day exercises were originally scheduled to conclude -- have been canceled, and tabletop war games will be conducted instead, the MND said.

Troops previously assigned to participate in the drills will now assist local governments in disaster relief to ensure people and their property remain safe, the MND added.

According to the Central Weather Administration, most of Taiwan and its outlying islands were still within Gaemi's radius as of 1 p.m. on Thursday, with the typhoon moving in a northwesterly direction at a speed of 11 to 19 kilometers per hour.

The annual Han Kuang exercises, which have served as Taiwan's major war games since 1984, consist of live-fire drills and computerized war games and seek to test Taiwan's combat readiness in the face of a possible Chinese invasion.

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