DEFENSE/Experts call for Han Kuang live-fire rescheduling to avoid typhoons

Taipei, July 28 (CNA) Two Taiwanese defense experts said on Saturday that the military should consider re-scheduling the live-fire component of the Han Kuang series of exercises to avoid it being disrupted by typhoons, as it has been for two consecutive years.

The 2024 live-fire component of the Han Kuang military exercises, set to take place from Monday through Friday, were cut short on Thursday after Taiwanese troops were mobilized to assist in disaster relief following Typhoon Gaemi.

In 2023, the military canceled a scheduled emergency landing and takeoff drill at Taitung Fengnian Airport, in the east of the country, due to Typhoon Doksuri.

To prevent the annual drill from being cut short again and wasting a chance for the military to practice its defensive strategy, two defense scholars told CNA that the Ministry of National Defense (MND) should consider rescheduling them.

Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at Taiwan's government-funded think tank, the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the MND should move Han Kuang's live-fire component from July to June because that would minimize the chance of the exercises being affected by typhoons.

Chieh Chung (揭仲), a researcher at the Taiwan-based Association of Strategic Foresight, suggested the military swap the two components of Han Kuang, which also includes computerized wargames normally held in April or May.

Chieh said the MND should consider holding live-fire exercises in the first half of the year and the computerized war games in the second half.

This would maximize the chance of avoiding typhoon disruption and give college graduate conscripts, who tend to begin compulsory service after graduation, more time to undergo basic training and hone their expertise, before putting their training into action, Chieh told CNA.

Chieh also noted that the MND made positive changes to this year's Han Kuang, including "unscripted" combat scenarios that better simulate real-life battlefield conditions.

Previously, troops participating in Han Kuang knew the drill scenarios beforehand, including when and where the simulated "invading force" would appear. Soldiers, therefore, had been trained in what to expect before drill day.

This meant troops tended to focus less on defensive posts and overall defense tactics, he said.

The "unscripted" focus this year meant the simulated enemy attack could take place anywhere, at any time, and with any available weapons system. This meant troops had to familiarize themselves with the overall environment and practice different scenarios, Chieh explained.

Another focus of 2024 Han Kuang was to test the military's decentralized command structure with exercises that monitor units' decision-making capabilities after losing contact with central command.

Each soldier was also expected to follow updated Rules of Engagement (ROE) that explain the circumstances under which they are authorized to use certain weapons or launch counterattacks.

It is a pity that due to Typhoon Gaemi, the decentralized command structure has yet to be put to the test due to the drill being cut short, the scholar said.

He suggested that the MND consider testing each military unit's familiarity with the updated ROE and decentralized command structure during the "combat readiness month" exercises held once every quarter.

In response to Chieh's suggestion, a military general who spoke to CNA on condition of anonymity said that the MND would test and verify scenarios that were supposed to be tested in this year's Han Kuang drills.

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