Defense chief lauds effort but acknowledges mishaps in Taiwan drills

Taipei, July 18 (CNA) Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) on Friday praised Taiwanese troops for their hard work over the past 10 days as the longest-ever live-fire component of Taiwan's annual military exercises concluded early Friday.

In a teleconference to Taiwan's armed forces, Koo officially announced the end of the 10-day, nine-night Han Kuang exercises that began on July 9.

That was double the length of past live-fire segments that typically lasted five days and four nights, according to a Ministry of National Defense (MND) statement.

Koo praised the participating troops, in particular those in central and southern Taiwan, given that aside from joining the exercises, they also spent time helping people in those regions affected by Typhoon Danas.

Koo said they served as an example of military-civilian cooperation, as they not only helped defend the country but also people affected by the typhoon in post-disaster recovery and relief, the MND statement said.

Typhoon Danas swept through the country earlier this month, leaving two dead and over 700 injured.

It also caused power outages affecting nearly 1 million households, disrupted the supply of water to over 73,000 homes across Taiwan, and caused NT$2.6 billion (US$88.60 million) in agricultural losses.

In his address Friday, Koo said the 10-day drills saw the debuts of U.S.-supplied Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), TOW 2B anti-tank missiles, newly purchased unmanned aviation vehicles, and a domestically built land-based version of the Sky Sword II missile.

The exercises also mobilized the 206th Reserve Brigade.

Up to 22,000 reservists participated in the 10-day drills to test their ability to provide brigade-sized rather than battalion-sized support and to test their capabilities to serve as a stronger backup to the regular troops, according to Koo.

The defense chief also noted that due to the "unscripted" nature of this year's Han Kuang drills and the fact that military vehicles frequently drove on the streets alongside civilian vehicles, there were several traffic accidents involving military cars.

Koo asked senior military officials to look into the matter to prevent future occurrences, the MND said.

At least seven traffic accidents involving military vehicles and/or personnel were reported by local media over the past 10 days during the Han Kuang exercises, resulting in minor injuries to five soldiers.

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.

According to the MND, the first three days of the exercises focus on how Taiwan's military collectively counters China's gray zone tactics -- coercive actions that fall short of open conflict.

The drills then 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.

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