DEFENSE/Army conducts simulated battle on Day 2 of exercises in Changhua

Taipei, Oct. 29 (CNA) The second day of major military drills conducted by Taiwan's Army in Changhua County featured an "unscripted" simulated conflict between two competing brigades that involved more than 4,000 members of the armed forces.

On Day 2 of the Chang Tai Exercise, the 586th Armored Brigade, which played the defensive side, dispatched six M60A3 tanks at the order of the exercise's command headquarters.

The convoy encountered the 333rd Mechanized Infantry Brigade, the opposing force, near Tzu Hang temple en route to its designated strategic position.

On a nearby county road, the Smoke Generator Battalion of the Army's 36th Chemical Group created a smokescreen from a Humvee to cover the 586th Armored Brigade and prevent its forces from being located by drones as it deployed countermeasures.

Meanwhile, a liaison officer requested the presence of two Apache attack helicopters as reinforcement.

The two Army brigades each deployed about 1,900 soldiers, putting the total number of military personnel at over 4,000 if service members at the command headquarters are counted, a source with knowledge of the matter told CNA.

In addition, more than 100 vehicles, including tanks and armored vehicles, were deployed, according to the source.

Similar to this year's Han Kuang military exercises, the Chang Tai Exercise, which runs until Nov. 1, is around-the-clock and unscripted, and the command headquarters gave several instructions to the drills' participants at 2 a.m. to realistically simulate a wartime scenario.

This year's Chang Tai exercise was also the first of its kind to involve reservists engaged in 14-day refresher programs after the programs were extended from seven days in 2022.

On Wednesday, the reservists will help build defensive encampments and engage in drills to provide cover for strike forces.

Army Chief of Staff Chen Chien-yi (陳建義) said Tuesday at a Ministry of National Defense news conference that the exercise was aimed at testing the capabilities of the armed forces to command, control, and conduct live-fire drills according to commands given "at actual distance."

Asked about whether the exercise could be cut short due to the approaching Typhoon Kong-rey, Chen said that will depend on advisories issued by the Central Weather Administration and the areas expected to be affected by the typhoon when sea and land warnings are issued.

The command headquarters will keep close tabs on the weather in the areas where the drills are being held and will notify all units involved of any decisions to cancel drills to allow sufficient time for them to evacuate, Chen added.