DEFENSE/Key Taipei bridge closed for drills aimed at blocking PLA from capital

Taipei, July 15 (CNA) A key bridge in the Greater Taipei area was closed in the early hours of Tuesday for a military drill simulating efforts by Taiwan's armed forces to prevent enemy forces from moving into the capital city of Taipei.

Tuesday's drill, part of the military's annual Han Kuang exercises, simulated a scenario in which forces of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) were attempting to enter the capital city of Taipei from neighboring New Taipei City using cars, including military cars.

Conducted at the Wanban Bridge (萬板大橋) connecting New Taipei's Banqiao District with Taipei's Wanhua District, which was closed from 11 p.m. Monday to 6 a.m. Tuesday, the drill began with military police building a four-tier blockade on the bridge within two hours in anticipation of incoming PLA troops.

The temporary 690-meter-long blockade was made up of roadblocks, civilian buses, and barbed wire barricades as well as newly acquired Hesco bastions -- modern, collapsible barriers made of wire mesh and fabric.

Used in Iraq and Afghanistan, these barriers were originally designed for flood control and military fortifications and have the advantage of accelerating the construction of temporary defenses.

During the drill, military police first used drones to detect the PLA's deployment remotely before simulating opening fire at the Chinese troops.

The second part of the drill simulated PLA troops breaking through three of the four levels of the blockade set up by Taiwan's forces before being fired on by Taiwanese snipers from high points.

Domestically built "Clouded Leopard" eight-wheeled armored vehicles were also deployed to help Taiwan's military sweep the bridge in a simulated attempt to eliminate remaining PLA forces there.

The military and police also set up spot-check sites.

These simulations were meant to prevent enemy forces from advancing into Taipei, home to the Presidential Office Building, Taipei Main Station, and other key locations.

According to the Military Police Command Headquarters, Tuesday's drill was used to familiarize troops on how to use existing bridges to build temporary multi-layered blockades to deny enemy access and disrupt enemy movements.

Similar bridge-defense drills have been conducted in previous Han Kuang exercises, but this year was the first time a bridge connecting the two cities was fully closed to traffic.

Tuesday marked the seventh day of Taiwan's longest-ever live-fire phase of the annual Han Kuang military exercises, which officially began July 9, with a special focus on countering China's "gray zone" tactics.

According to the Ministry of National Defense, the 10-day, nine-night Han Kuang exercises running through July 18 are twice as long as previous live-fire drills, which typically lasted five days and four nights.

Since 1984, the annual Han Kuang exercises have served as Taiwan's major war games, combining live-fire drills and computerized tabletop simulations to test combat readiness against a possible Chinese invasion.

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