M1A2T tanks to roll into Taiwan's Lien Yung military drill next month

Taipei, Oct. 19 (CNA) American-made M1A2T Abrams tanks will participate in a major Taiwan military exercise for the second time, when Lien Yung drills begin next month, a military source told CNA on Monday.

The Army's 584th Armored Brigade, which operates the American-made tanks, has already transported them to the Joint Operations Training Base in Pingtung County for the upcoming Lien Yung drill (聯勇操演), scheduled for late November through December, according to the source.

During the month-long joint military exercise in southern Taiwan, the tanks will test combat coordination, said the source, who asked not to be named.

The M1A2T Abrams tanks were included in a major Taiwan military drill for the first time when the country held its annual Han Kuang exercises in August.

The nationwide Han Kuang exercises, which include live-fire drills, are Taiwan's major military exercise, while the Lien Yung drills are the second-largest.

Held in southern Taiwan, the Lien Yung exercises serve as a major test of coordination among the three branches of the country's armed forces -- the Army, Navy and Air Force -- in jointly repelling an invading enemy.

Conscripts serving their mandatory one-year military service will also participate in this year's Lien Yung drills, the source said.

Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), director of the Division of Defense Strategy and Resources at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), told CNA on Monday that the M1A2T Abrams tanks are currently operated only by volunteer soldiers, not conscripts.

However, it is important for conscripts to participate in large-scale live-fire exercises such as the Lien Yung drill to receive more advanced training, Su added.

Under a deal approved by Washington in 2019, Taiwan has procured 108 M1A2T Abrams tanks from the United States at a cost of about US$1.45 billion (NT$40.5 billion).

Of the 108 Abrams tanks, 38 were commissioned by the Taiwan Army's 584th Armored Brigade in late October 2025, and 42 in April this year. The other 28 are still being tested and prepared for service.

For the second time, the Army will use the Abrams tanks in a major military drill, when the Lien Yung exercises get underway in southern Taiwan next month.