DEFENSE/Lai inspects Taoyuan Avenger Air Defense System as Han Kuang enters day 5

Taipei, Aug. 9 (CNA) Despite pouring rain brought by Typhoon Dolphin, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) inspected troops stationed in northern Taoyuan during the ongoing live-fire segment of the Han Kuang series of exercises on Sunday, as the largest annual drill entered its fifth day.

Accompanied by Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) and National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Lai, wearing a raincoat, was briefed by the commander of a Taoyuan drill group about how the military is coordinating to counter a simulated Chinese invasion, according to a Presidential Office press release.

The group of top Taiwanese officials later moved on to a nearby site operated by the Army's 21st Artillery Command, where the Avenger Air Defense System was deployed.

In a Facebook post, Lai said he thanked all the service members taking part in the Han Kuang series of exercises for performing their duties despite the heavy rain brought by Typhoon Dolphin.

He called on all personnel to take good care of themselves and their fellow service members, saying that the country is safer and more capable of defending itself with better preparation, as ensured by the Han Kuang exercises.

In Taipei, the Military Police Command, working with the city government, the Taipei City Police Department and Taipei Rapid Transit Corp., held an exercise early on Sunday simulating the use of the underground MRT system to mobilize troops and equipment to defensive locations around the capital and conduct logistics supply missions.

Such a drill is intended to strengthen urban defense resilience and implement civil-military integration by having military units make use of existing public transportation systems to meet their defensive needs, the command said in a press release.

On the Penghu Islands, the newly established Navy Littoral Operations Command on Sunday deployed its shore-based mobile anti-ship missile units, namely the Hsiung Feng II (HF-2) and Hsiung Feng III (HF-3), to designated strategic locations following orders to do so.

The exercise was intended to test whether the land-based anti-ship missile batteries could be moved quickly to key locations to form an asymmetric defense network and jointly fend off invading Chinese forces, according to a command press release.

The annual Han Kuang exercises, which have served as Taiwan's primary war games since 1984, are aimed at testing the country's combat readiness in the event of a possible Chinese invasion.

The large-scale exercises are held in two stages. This year's 42nd edition of the tabletop war games was conducted from April 11-24, while the live-fire portion is set to run from Aug. 5-14.