Taiwan plans 10-day Han Kuang drills, same as last year

Taipei, Feb. 6 (CNA) This year's Han Kuang military exercises are to remain 10 days and nine nights, with a focus on decentralized command capabilities, operations in pre-designated kill zones and urban resilience, Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said.

Speaking to reporters at a recent press event, Koo said Taiwan's largest annual live-force exercises will again run for 10 days and nine nights, concentrating on dispersed command and control operations, pre-designated kill zone engagements, battlespace management, delay and attrition operations, counter-drone measures and manpower mobilization.

The drills will also be integrated with local governments' 2026 urban resilience air raid drills and carried out under "real troops, real locations, real equipment and real conditions" to advance combat realism, Koo said.

To further align training with real-world combat conditions, he said, the military will fully implement 14-day reserve call-ups this year, scrapping the previous five- to seven-day system.

The Army will also extend its updated base combat drills from five days and four nights to 10 days and nine nights, and include infantry battalions made up of one-year conscripts, he said.

Drawing on U.S. training and evaluation models, the Army's new branch-specific base training will be conducted in three phases -- preparatory training, tactical operations and combat capability assessments, he said.

Previously limited to five days and four nights, the extended tactical evaluations run on a continuous basis to allow for 24-hour training aimed at validating ground force coordination and strengthening troops' willpower and resilience under pressure, he explained.

Furthermore, Koo said, infantry battalions made up of conscripts will take part in joint live-fire evaluations with the Army's Combined Arms 584th Brigade, focusing on defensive positions, communications and command, and fire support coordination to enhance joint force interdiction and strike capabilities.

As for reserve forces, Koo said that 14-day refresher programs have been fully implemented since January, meaning five- to seven-day programs will no longer be used.

In response to evolving threat scenarios, last year's Han Kuang live-force exercises were extended to 10 days and nine nights -- up from the traditional five days and four nights -- and featured continuous, unscripted training, making it the longest iteration of the exercise to date.