The Taiwanese army recently held a press conference to introduce in detail the details of this year’s“Hanguang No. 40” exercise, talk about the so-called“Decentralized”, “No imaginary enemy”, “No script, actual combat” exercise. However, the repeated revelations of the exercise by the island’s media proved that these changes to the“Hanguang No. 40” exercise were simply a“Change of scenery, not a change of clothes”, and on the contrary, they made a further step towards the safety of the lives of the people of Taiwan who were kidnapped.
Bragging about“Unscripted” drills is a far cry from reality
According to a report by Taiwan’s“Central News Agency” on the 11th, mei jiashu, the“Chief of staff” of the Taiwan Army, once again stressed during his inspection of the Taiwan Navy that this year’s“Hanguang No. 40” exercise will undergo major changes, in particular, the emphasis on actual combat and night combat training. Taiwan’s defense department also repeatedly said at a press conference on the 9th, “Hanguang No. 40” exercise will focus on“Decentralized finger tube” tactics, highlighting the“No script, actual combat” exercise.
Reported that the“Hanguang 40” exercise will be conducted from July 22 to 26,24 hours without interruption drill, planning“Battle force preservation”, “Integrated air defense”, “Joint interception” and“United Nations soil defense operations” and other five stages and subjects. In contrast to the previous “Hanguang” series of exercises, this year it will set up a “Live-fire drill for Oedo’s armed forces but not for the island’s armed forces”, with a focus on “Non-scripted, actual combat-style” exercises, and strengthen the“All-society resilience defense” including key infrastructure. Therefore, in the past, many performances such as“Fighter aircraft take-off and landing in the preparation lane”, “Submarine live-fire heavy torpedoes” and“New equipment taking part for the first time” will be canceled.
Although the Taiwanese military specifically emphasized that the“Hanguang No. 40” exercise was a“No-script” exercise, the island’s media immediately revealed that the Taiwanese army troops had dug trenches and fortifications at a predetermined tactical location one month before the exercise, the Maritime and Port Bureau even announced the “Rehearsal time” for the so-called “Unscripted rehearsal”. All this makes the so-called“Unscripted” exercises of the Taiwanese army empty talk.
According to Taiwan’s“Wind Media” website, according to existing public information and the annual training process of the Taiwanese army, the“Hanguang No. 40” exercise has selected 12 key locations in the north, Central and south, and outlying islands for anti-aircraft landing exercises, they are all strategically located around Taiwan’s critical infrastructure (ports, airports) , military fortresses, red beaches and“Political and economic hubs”. According to the Maritime and Port Bureau, the 12 locations are Taoyuan Airport, Pine Hill Airport, Port of Taipei, Kwan to Plain A, Kwan to plain B, Kwun Yam Beach, Chi Ben Beach, Pak Po Beach, Penghu Beach, Lower Kosai and the vicinity of Tainan Airport, and K?nan Beach. Island scholars said that the reasons for the selection of these sites are not difficult to guess: Guandu Plain and Taipei Port has a geographical relationship, all kinds of previous years are important defensive positions; Kwun Yam Beach and K?nan Beach are close to Taoyuan International Airport and Taichung Airport respectively, while Zhiben Beach in ?? and Pak Po beach in Hualian are close to ?? Chi hang base and Hualian base respectively Xiahu Xiying District in Kameyama, Taoyuan, leads to the city’s “Political and economic centre and Linkou key areas”, while Penghu, if captured, could become a relay point for the People’s Liberation Army to attack Taiwan, taoyuan Airport and Pine Hill Airport are important air transport destinations.
The island’s media also noted that the Huadong area was previously regarded as a wartime“Rear area”, an area where the combat effectiveness of Taiwan’s Air Force fighters and Taiwan’s naval vessels was preserved, the latest F-16V fighter aircraft, sourced from the US, will also be deployed at the Chihang base in ?? as a priority. But as the PLA’s carrier fleet takes shape and trains annually in the western Pacific, “There is no front or back, and even Huadong has become a wartime front”. Therefore, in the“Hanguang No. 40” exercise, in addition to continuing the previous“Battle Strength Preservation” course, the Taiwan Air Force will also strengthen the training of runway emergency repair at various airports in eastern Taiwan, ensure that“The runway after enemy fire can be quickly recovered”, and focus on training combat effectiveness re-repair, the hole within the store mounted ammunition and other content.
The“Unscripted” exercise boasted by the Taiwanese army is a far cry from the reality and has become a popular topic of ridicule on the island’s social media platforms. Some Taiwanese netizens commented that, “Construction started at the end of May on the fortification of Zhuwei Beach, and trenches and other fortifications were dug,” he said. “Of course, there were only a few landing sites, and the fortifications were built ahead of schedule. Unless the island’s topography changed in an instant, there would be no decision at all. It was simply a Scheherazade.”“Hanguang was still a show until the 2024, and had nothing to do with actual combat.”.
In addition, the Taiwanese army has also emphasized in its propaganda that in the past, “Hanguang” exercises would have set up Red Army and blue army confrontations. For example, the Red Army would have an amphibious landing simulated by the Taiwan Marine Corps, while the Taiwan Army would play the role of the Blue Army. But such counter-manoeuvres, which have to ensure the victory of the Blue Army on behalf of the Taiwanese army, have been widely mocked for their frequent use of cheating techniques. Therefore, this year’s“Hanguang No. 40” exercise will be canceled to act as the Red Army’s offensive forces, and cancel the large-scale performance of the nature of the curriculum display. But Chie Chung, a researcher with Taiwan’s China Strategic Foresight Association, thinks that if the Taiwanese army thinks that using“Real simulation scenarios” for verification can replace confrontation training, so why are major military forces around the world still so focused on training for confrontation, even spending billions of dollars on equipment to enhance the simulation? There are also senior military researchers on the island who say that because each of the Taiwanese army’s ground forces has stipulated wartime tactical positions and battle plans, so there really is no such thing as“Randomly assigned tasks” or“Unscripted walkthroughs.”. “As long as you can confirm in advance the troop designation of the exercise, you can determine in advance what kind of exercise program, project, or even the predetermined deployment location.”
Taiwanese media believe that the“Hanguang No. 40” exercise of these improvements are not entirely without merit, but they reveal information, but more confirmed the“Hanguang” exercise is acting criticism. For example, in the past, when Taiwan’s artillery was firing live ammunition, they often used a“Well-shaped frame” to limit their range of fire, so as to prevent accidental firing of artillery shells out of the range. This“Security” approach has been criticized even within the Taiwanese army. The“Hanguang No. 40” exercise will remove the“Trellis”, requiring Taiwanese officers and soldiers to carefully calculate the trajectory of the shells themselves.
Can a gas can keep the PLA from landing?
One of the highlights of this year’s“Hanguang No. 40” exercise is the river defense exercise at the Danshui estuary of the Taiwan Army’s Guandu Command Camp. According to analysis by Taiwanese military personnel, the Tamsui River estuary is 8 kilometers from the Guandu Bridge, and it is only about 22 kilometers away from important places such as the Presidential Palace in Taipei, the exercise, “Hanguang 40”, combined the Tamsui River defense exercise with anti-aircraft landing exercises at Taipei Port and Pine Hill Airport to test the Taiwanese army’s ability to defend the “Taipei Hub”. To this end, Taiwan’s “Defense Minister” Wellington Koo 8 also specifically went to the Guandu headquarters to inspect the relevant defense.
Taiwan’s Liberty Times newspaper noted on the 10th that photos released by the Taiwanese army showing Wellington Koo visiting the command post of Guandu showed a scene in which the Taiwanese army practiced using petrol drums as a “Blocking chain” for the Tamsui River defense. Taiwanese military sources explained that the deployment of tandem oil drums containing explosives in the river was part of the “Multiple containment” measures for the river, including the Port of Taipei River, the banks of the Tamsui and Bari rivers and the Guandu Bridge, will become a defensive point to keep the PLA out. Because some beaches along the Tamsui River and north coasts meet landing conditions and are surrounded by key facilities such as the Port of Taipei River, they could be used by PLA landing forces, thus creating a “Chain of resistance”, the PLA’s hovercraft and landing craft can be denied access to the upper reaches of the Tamsui River River. Earlier, during the 2022 Hanguang 38 exercise, the Taiwan Army used M3 pontoons to pull up similar“Blocking chains” in the freshwater channel, placing them at key locations in the freshwater channel.
The Taiwanese had previously used petrol drums to create a “Chain of resistance” on the Tamsui River.
As for the operation, Tsai Cheng-yuan, a former Taiwanese legislator, quipped that the anti-french general Liu Mingchuan, who had been stationed in Taiwan at the end of the Qing dynasty during the sino-french War, was defending Taipei against French forces, several ships were sunk in the fresh water estuary to keep out French warships. The Taiwanese army has always believed in the formula that“To attack Taipei, we must enter the Tamsui River from the outer sea”. Thus, in previous exercises, the Taiwanese army repeatedly deployed tanks, mortars and armored vehicles to “Simulate the interception of PLA landing craft” in Tamsui River. Today, the same logic applies to the“Hanguang 40” exercise. “As long as we use a few petrol drums and a few bombs in the fresh water channel, the landing craft on the mainland will not be able to cross. Will this idea return to the Qing Dynasty?”
Cai Zhengyuan said that now the PLA landing assault is not just rely on ships, but armed helicopters composed of air commandos to lead the way. As a result, barrels of petrol on the river were set ablaze and exploded during the first wave of the PLA’s offensive. “Moreover, the PLA’s landing site is not in fresh water, and the red beaches that the Taiwanese army envisages as suitable for landing do not contain fresh water. Therefore, if the PLA lands in fresh water, it means that Taiwan’s naval, air and beachhead forces have been eliminated.”. He said sarcastically that the actual combat significance of Taiwan’s military exercises in blocking the Tamsui River was not great, but the“Han Guang” exercises could be performed for those who did not understand military affairs to enjoy, for the media to film, and for the public to see spectacular scenes. After all, it’s still just acting.
“Kidnapping the whole island” has drawn criticism from all sides
In recent years, Taiwan authorities, following the baton of the United States, have increasingly intensified the“All-out war, scorched-earth war,” trying to kidnap the entire island people into the flames of war. This was particularly evident during the“Hanguang 40” exercise. Taiwan’s“United Daily” said that recently, many palaces and temples in Taiwan have received documents from the Taiwanese military demanding the signing of a“Protocol of support for the pre-stockpiling of ammunition”. People are worried that the ammunition is right next to their homes and will affect the safety of their lives and property, and the risk of war. The reserve command of the Taiwan Army has clarified that this is only to consider wartime needs, and that it is planning to combine civilian resources to enhance the use of logistical support for resilience exercises, without actually placing munitions.
However, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense revealed at a press conference on the 9th on the“Hanguang 40” exercise that, in this year’s exercise, all kinds of important military products and materials will be restocked by means of“Pre-positioning and sub-area storage”, which will be pre-positioned in areas surrounding the Taiwan Army, and the damage caused by attacks will be reduced by means of sturdy buildings or underground facilities, “Enhance the army’s operational sustainability”. “According to Taiwan’s geographical environment, when the enemy situation rises, regardless of the front or rear, we should play the spirit of one life on the same island,” said Chen Chunzhong, director of the Department of military equipment in the back room of the Ministry of National Defense
In practice, experts on the island question how to ensure the safe and efficient transfer of military supplies in time of war is a matter that requires careful consideration; in addition, how to balance military needs with the use of civilian facilities, it is also a problem that needs to be solved. Zhang Jing, a researcher at Taiwan’s China Strategic Institute, said the Geneva Convention prohibited the use of historical monuments, works of art or places of worship for military purposes. He believes that now the Taiwanese army intends to pre-store ammunition in the temple and other religious sites, “For fear of loss of legal protection, as a legitimate military target.”.
From the“Hanguang 40” exercise planning, the intention to mobilize the whole Taiwan to participate in the war is also very obvious. The exercise will focus on strengthening the “Resilience of the whole society” and will simultaneously carry out exercises on “Unity”, “Self-strengthening”, “Wan’an” and “People’s safety”. The“Concentric” exercise has 25 more units and 2,032 more troops than last year. The military also revealed it would expand this year the key validation area for the “Wan’an” civil air defence exercise. The Wan’an exercise is closer to actual combat than previous anti-aircraft drills, which only required vehicles to stop and people to stay off the streets. In the case of the two “Key verification zones” in Xinyi and Da’an District, chosen by Taipei, drivers must seek refuge in air defence facilities as well as ask to stop during the exercise. At that time, in addition to issuing air defense alerts through the media and radio, other parts of the island will also simultaneously broadcast“Air threat warning” text messages to people’s mobile phones, allowing people to click on the links in the text messages, use satellite maps to locate nearby air-raid shelters. The Taiwanese army’s moves, critics say, will only cause panic in Taiwan.