DEFENSE/Reservists conduct rifle and mortar drills in Taipei

Taipei, Aug. 5 (CNA) Reservists from the Taipei City Reserve Brigade on Wednesday carried out rifle and mortar drills at a Taipei high school on the first day of Taiwan's annual Han Kuang military exercises as part of a full-brigade mobilization exercise.

The armed forces on Wednesday conducted drills at numerous locations across Taiwan, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND).

In Taipei, dozens of recalled reservists from the brigade gathered at Taipei Municipal Zhong Zheng Senior High School, where they underwent rifle and simulated mortar training.

Armed with U.S.-made M4A1 rifles, reservists practiced firing while advancing and from stationary positions -- standing, kneeling and prone -- using barricades for cover.

Past rifle training focused on firing from stationary positions. Shooting while advancing and the use of barricades, modeled after battlefield shelters, are more recent additions intended to better reflect real combat conditions, according to the 3rd Combat Theater Command.

Meanwhile, other reservists worked in teams to assemble mortars and carried out a simulated firing sequence.

The command said the biggest challenges in a full-brigade mobilization are ensuring sufficient equipment is available and successfully assembling units with recalled reservists.

Regardless of whether they use U.S.-made rifles or other weapons, reservists follow a standard training progression that includes dry-fire drills, refresher training in their military specialties and live-fire exercises, the command said.

Wednesday's training focused on mobilization preparations and refresher courses, with subsequent phases to include wartime deployment, force protection and force preservation tasks, according to the command.

The command said the reserve brigade's mortar battalion serves as its fire support unit. Its 120 mm mortars have a maximum range of about 6,100 meters and are operated by five-person teams.

The Taipei City Reserve Brigade, along with the Army's 137th Infantry Brigade, was selected by the MND to validate full-brigade mobilization exercises.

The two brigades account for about 5,000 of the 20,000 reservists called up for the Han Kuang exercises, according to the MND.