DEFENSE/Taiwan to test relocation of weapons production in annual war games

Taipei, July 28 (CNA) Taiwan's military will simulate the wartime relocation of weapons production lines during its annual Han Kuang military exercises next month to ensure arms manufacturing facilities remain operational after coming under enemy attack, a military official said Tuesday.

The Ministry of National Defense (MND) on Tuesday outlined key activities in the Han Kuang exercises, scheduled for Aug. 5-14, including simulated relocation and evacuation drills at the Armaments Bureau's 202nd Plant and production facilities operated by private-sector defense contractors.

The drills will test the relocation of the 202nd Plant and private-sector facilities responsible for whole-system assembly to rear-area production sites after coming under enemy attack, while simultaneously conducting evacuation drills, Department of Strategic Planning official Lu Wen-yuan (呂文元) told an MND news conference.

The objective is to strengthen the resilience of the facilities so they can provide more effective wartime support to all branches of the armed forces, Lu said.

Meanwhile, National Communications Commission (NCC) official Liang Po-chou (梁伯州) said about 17 million people -- or roughly 73 percent of Taiwan's total population -- will be affected by the country's first-ever drills simulating a degraded internet environment, which will be conducted across Taiwan other than southern areas during next month's air raid exercises.

Under the scenario designed by the NCC, mobile data speeds will be significantly reduced because of simulated network congestion and emergency traffic management measures, leaving only voice calls and SMS services available.

The simulation will be held in seven central Taiwan jurisdictions -- Miaoli County, Taichung, Changhua County, Nantou County, Yunlin County, Chiayi County and Chiayi City -- from 2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Aug. 10.

It will then be conducted in seven northern jurisdictions -- Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung, Taoyuan, Hsinchu County, Hsinchu City and Yilan County -- from 2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Aug. 13.

Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, where air raid drills are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 7, will be exempt from the mobile internet disruption exercise because of concerns it could affect stock market operations, according to the NCC.

Authorities have urged the public to save important information, such as maps and air raid shelter locations, to their phones in advance and switch to Wi-Fi during the drills to minimize disruptions to essential work.