DEFENSE/Army conducts live explosive ordnance drill on Tamsui River

Taipei, July 12 (CNA) Taiwan's Armed Forces on Saturday simulated defending against a Chinese incursion via the Tamsui River in New Taipei, featuring hands-on training with live explosive ordnance as part of the annual Han Kuang exercises.

During the drill, the Army's 53rd Engineer Group set up obstacles on the river and detonated C4 explosives, sending shockwaves along the riverbank in Tamsui District.

In recent years, defense of the Tamsui River has become a key focus for Taiwan's military in the Greater Taipei area.

According to the military, to prevent Chinese hovercraft and vessels from advancing upstream from the river mouth and landing in areas such as Wanhua and Dazhi from where it is easier to strike at the heart of the capital, the Armed Forces have in recent years used the Han Kuang exercises to practice setting up blockades along the Tamsui River.

This year, the military took the drill a step further by utilizing C4 explosives and conducting the first ever publicly demonstrated detonation drills.

Using the M3 Amphibious Rig and dinghies, the Army's engineering group on Saturday set up three defensive lines consisting of various obstacles, including fixed fishing nets and oil barrels attached to pontoons, across a section of the river roughly 500 meters wide and 450 meters long.

Meanwhile, troops from the Army's Guandu Area Command were deployed to provide covering fire for the engineers during the simulation, while tactical short-range drones hovered above the Tamsui River for reconnaissance.

The C4 explosives were remotely detonated.

Chieh Chung (揭仲), a researcher at the Association of Strategic Foresight, said that stopping the Chinese military from advancing along the Tamsui River is crucial to the defense of the capital.

Conducting live detonation training, he explained, helps the military assess the optimal density and quantity of explosives needed in a wartime scenario.

The obstacles set up by the military on the river, as demonstrated on Saturday, are designed to defend against Chinese speedboats and unmanned underwater vehicles, he added.

Separately on Saturday, the Army's Matsu Defense Command said its troops carried out a drill in the morning that simulated the detection of unidentified aerial vehicles approaching the airspace over Nangan Island.

As part of readiness training, soldiers immediately scrambled to take up their positions within a short period of time, the command said in a news release.

It added that the training was conducted to ensure mission success in wartime and full preparedness to safeguard national security and regional stability.