DEFENSE/Taiwan military police stage bridge blockade drill to secure capital

Taipei, Aug. 13 (CNA) Taiwan's military held a defensive blockade drill in Taipei's Wanhua District in the early hours of Thursday to prevent enemy armored units from advancing further into the heart of the capital as part of the annual Han Kuang exercises.

The simulated battle took place on Guangfu Bridge, a key connection between New Taipei and Taipei, as well as at road intersections at both ends of the bridge.

Under the military's scenario, enemy forces successfully carried out an amphibious landing and were advancing toward Taiwan's financial and administrative center.

Military police dressed in camouflage uniforms placed gabions and Jersey barriers on the bridge to block the enemy advance. They also secured the perimeter on the Taipei side of the bridge by deploying Czech hedgehogs, barbed wire and barricades along three sides of an intersection to create a "kill zone."

Tour buses requisitioned from the private sector were also deployed as barriers under the military's civilian force requisition plan.

Military police personnel armed with T112 rifles simulated engagements with the opposing force, while attack drones simulated airdropped bombs.

At around 1:20 a.m., the battlefield commander issued an order to carry out denial measures to prevent enemy vehicles from advancing further by simulating the detonation of explosives planted near the bridge joint, creating a gap in the road, after military police and Army forces were pushed back by invading units.

Under the cover of smoke screens, military police continued engaging enemy infantry who crossed the bridge, exchanging gunfire with them while luring them into the kill zone. A platoon of Clouded Leopard CM33 and CM34 armored vehicles waiting at the perimeter then engaged the enemy with 30mm chain guns and T74 platoon machine guns.

Sheu Jyh-shyang (許智翔), one of the defense experts observing the drill on-site, told CNA that the drill reflected a strategy of deploying multilayered barriers to blockade and impede adversaries.

The blockade and defense of key bridges connecting Taipei with other administrative regions have traditionally been a highlight of the Han Kuang exercises, Taiwan's largest annual military drills, noted Sheu, a researcher at Taiwan's government-funded Institute for National Defense and Security Research.

Sheu recommended that the military deploy anti-armor weapons in future drills involving the blockade of bridges.

"Assuming that [the enemy] has breached the defenses of Taoyuan and other locations, the forward troops will consist of a large number of armored vehicles," Sheu said. "It is therefore necessary to include anti-armor rockets or even Javelin missiles."

Noting that buildings are often used in urban warfare to the advantage of defensive forces, Sheu also suggested that complex urban environments be taken into account in the design of future exercises.

In a statement, the Military Police Command said the drill tested the soundness of its defense strategies and commanders' abilities to respond flexibly to evolving battlefield situations, thereby ensuring the security of the Taipei Garrison Area.

It said that effective obstruction, defense and denial operations are critical to preventing enemy forces from penetrating the capital and protecting the national government and people's property.