Record-long live-fire Han Kuang drills open, target gray zone tactics

Taipei, July 9 (CNA) The longest-ever live-fire component of Taiwan's annual military exercises officially kicked off on Wednesday, with a special focus on how Taiwan counters China's "gray zone" tactics.

According to the Ministry of National Defense (MND), the 10-day, nine-night Han Kuang exercises from Wednesday through July 18 are double the length of previous live-fire segments, which normally lasted five days and four nights.

The first three days of the drills will focus on how Taiwan's military collectively counters China's gray zone tactics -- coercive actions that fall short of open conflict -- Major General Tung Chi-hsing (董冀星), director of the MND's joint operations planning division, said July 1.

On the first day, the exercises will simulate Chinese militia boats and Coast Guard vessels conducting gray zone harassments near Taiwan, according to the MND's plan.

In preparing Taiwanese troops to be ready to respond swiftly should China turn such gray zone activities into an actual invasion, Taiwan's Navy vessels will be dispatched to designated locations off the coast in preparation to confront enemy forces.

Navy mobile radar units and mobile anti-ship missile systems will also be sent to their respective strategic locations, and special units will be deployed at ports, harbors and other key infrastructure sites to maintain a functioning society.

At the same time, military engineers will begin to practice building and deploying counter-mobility obstacles to slow the movement of enemy forces at so-called "red beaches" -- coastal areas deemed vulnerable to large enemy landings islandwide -- according to the MND's plan.

Meanwhile, Taiwanese reservists have also reported to designated locations around the country, the MND said. This year, up to 22,000 reservists will participate in the 10-day drills to test their ability to provide brigade-sized rather than battalion-sized support.

After the first three days, the drills will move on to their "full-scale combat" phase July 13-18 that includes joint anti-landing operations on July 13, coastal and beachhead combat on July 14, in-depth defense July 15-16, and protracted warfare July 17-18, Tung said on July 1.

The annual Han Kuang exercises, which have served as Taiwan's major war games since 1984, consist of live-fire drills and computerized tabletop war games.

The drills aim to test Taiwan's combat readiness in the face of a possible Chinese invasion.

This year's tabletop war games were conducted from April 5 to April 18.