DEFENSE/Think tank highlights shifts in Taiwan's defense posture

Taipei, July 31 (CNA) The key takeaways from the recently concluded Han Kuang military exercises include the military's evolving response to gray zone threats, efforts to secure critical maritime and air routes, and the possibility of stationing the Marine Corps' 99th Brigade in northern Taiwan, according to a Taiwan-based think tank.

The Secure Taiwan Associate (STA) on Tuesday released a Chinese-language report about its observations of the drills from July 9-18, titled "Observations on adjustments in Taiwan's military force deployments."

The report is authored by National Defense University professor Ma Chen-kun (馬振坤) and Yang Tai-yuan (楊太源), deputy director of the STA's Research Project on China's Defense Affairs, among others.

The report notes that this year's drills signaled a shift in Taiwan's defense posture by treating China's gray zone operations as a precursor to aggression. Reservist mobilizations were initiated as early as July 5, ahead of the simulations of China's gray zone operations, which began on July 9, the report noted.

According to the exercise scenario, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) begins mobilizing for an attack while simultaneously using gray zone tactics -- provocative or coercive actions that fall short of open conflict -- to harass Taiwan.

However, Taiwan, vigilant over the possibility of the PLA pivoting exercises to an attack, responds with wartime deployments.

Another focus of the drills was sustaining operational endurance under combat conditions. The Air Force conducted nighttime runway repair exercises at multiple bases -- simulating realistic wartime conditions when daytime repairs would be too easily targeted by enemy forces, the report said.

Securing maritime supply lines was also a central theme. The exercises included a simulation in which naval and air force units escorted cargo ships delivering strategic supplies into Hualien Port.

The report emphasized that in any prolonged conflict, maintaining access to foreign materials and weapons is critical, and such logistics drills are essential to ensure Taiwan's capacity for sustained resistance.

During the drills, the Marine Corps' 99th Brigade was redeployed from its home base in southern Taiwan to the north, practicing cross-regional reinforcement maneuvers in the Guandu Plain.

This area was previously defended by the 66th Marine Brigade, which is now undergoing a structural transition into a lighter, more mobile unit, with some forces relocated to Taipei's Songshan Airport.

The report argued that the reinforcement drill not only validated cross-regional combat readiness but also explored the possibility of a permanent redeployment of the 99th Brigade, allowing the 66th Brigade to focus entirely on the defense of Taipei's urban core.