DEFENSE/Taiwan military to begin tri-service drills to test combat readiness

Taipei, Oct. 13 (CNA) Taiwan's military is set to hold three separate drills involving the Army, Air Force and Navy later this month to test the armed forces' combat readiness, a military source told CNA Sunday.

Starting Oct. 28, the Army will conduct a brigade-level force-on-force training exercise involving the Armored 586 Brigade of the 10th Army Corps, which is responsible for the defense of central Taiwan, and the 8th Army Corps' 333 Mechanized Infantry Brigade which is based in southern Taiwan.

Running until Nov. 1, one of the major changes to the annual drill codenamed "Chang Tai" (長泰) is that the 19th version will take the form of a non-stop drill over a five-day period, to test and train troops across a wider range of scenarios, including nighttime combat.

The 24-hour training format was previously adopted in late July during the Han Kuang military exercises, the country's major annual military drills, although the five-day exercise had to be cut short due to Typhoon Gaemi.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's Navy is also scheduled to launch its annual Hai Chiang (海強) exercises sometime from the end of October or early November, simulating the Navy's defensive strategy in case of an invasion headed by Chinese warships, according to the same source.

Also beginning on Oct. 28 are the Air Force's annual Tien Lung, or "Sky Dragon" (天龍), airborne exercises, which test air-to-air, air-to-sea, and air-to-ground combat skills.

All of the Air Force's backbone fighters, namely the F-16Vs, Mirage 2000-5s, and Indigenous Defense Fighters (IDF), will participate in the five-day exercise to test their joint warfare capabilities, the source added.

As in previous exercises, the Air Force will also select flying aces in different categories through competitions, including aerial combat and precision flying.