DEFENSE/President Lai boards coast guard vessel to observe coastal defense

Taipei, Aug. 6 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Thursday boarded a Coast Guard Administration (CGA) vessel in New Taipei's Bali District to observe coastal defense operations during the annual Han Kuang military exercise.

According to a Presidential Office news release, Lai received briefings on the patrol vessel's equipment and coastal strike operations. He also inspected its missile launcher system and learned about its configuration and operational readiness.

Lai later visited a loading area at Taipei Port to learn about mine deployment operations and defensive measures carried out by the Army's 53rd Engineer Group.

Thursday marked the second day of the Han Kuang exercise, with drills in northern Taiwan focusing on coastal defense and other defensive operations, including the deployment of Patriot and Sky Bow missile launcher units to designated tactical positions at riverside parks in Taipei and New Taipei.

To prevent sensitive operating systems from being photographed, troops covered the launcher vehicles' control panels with camouflage netting, while armed personnel guarded the area.

Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a researcher at the government-funded Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the primary purpose of deploying mobile air defense missile systems is to preserve combat effectiveness. He added that open spaces and parks in Taipei are preferred because they minimize disruption to civilian facilities.

Su said Sky Bow and Patriot missile systems are designed to operate with their launch and command units separated by several dozen kilometers and connected by data links, improving their ability to survive an attack. He added that they form part of Taiwan's layered air defense network.

Elsewhere in Changhua County, troops conducted wartime readiness training, including drone reconnaissance drills, while testing military-civilian coordination and logistics procedures through the delivery of road barrier materials by civilian vehicles. Reservists also practiced drone operations, close-quarters combat and setting up simulated machine-gun and artillery positions.

The Fifth Combat Theater Command said it will continue conducting realistic training to strengthen Taiwan's defense capabilities and enhance societal resilience.

Meanwhile, military units in southern Taiwan conducted a road barrier deployment drill at Kaohsiung International Airport, with engineers setting up obstacles to simulate the defense of key transportation hubs during wartime. More than 30 reservists called up in early August also took part.

In eastern Taiwan, more than 100 fully armed troops gathered at Taitung's Fugang Fishing Port, where they boarded passenger vessels under cover and loaded weapons and supplies before heading to Green Island and Lanyu (Orchid Island) for tactical training. The drills included establishing defensive positions and conducting drone reconnaissance exercises.

The military said the drills were intended to test the ability to reinforce outlying islands, adding that participating personnel quickly moved to carry out the loading, transport and control of weapons and supplies.

According to a source familiar with the matter, the exercise was based on a scenario in which the People's Liberation Army forces attempt to seize the two islands as forward bases for an attack on Taiwan proper, using them as locations for helicopter and drone operations. The military then practiced rapidly reinforcing the islands to prevent their capture.