President Lai oversees Kaohsiung coastal drills

President William Lai yesterday boarded a missile boat at Zuoying Naval Base in Kaohsiung to oversee coastal strike drills during the Han Kuang Exercises. The drills, which began Wednesday and last 10 days, are designed to test Taiwan's combat readiness against a potential invasion by China.

Lai, speaking from a Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat armed with anti-ship missiles, urged navy and Coast Guard Administration personnel to proactively respond to various scenarios. He stressed the exercises' purpose: to test command coordination, combat responsiveness, and homeland defense capabilities using live troops, terrain, and equipment. "The purpose of the Han Kuang exercises is to use live troops, live terrain and live equipment to test command coordination, combat responsiveness and homeland defence capabilities," he stated.

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The purpose of the Han Kuang exercises is to use live troops, live terrain and live equipment to test command coordination, combat responsiveness and homeland defence capabilities.

The government, Lai added, will continue to strengthen defense capabilities to support the military and coast guard amidst "external threats and challenges." He encouraged participants to enhance coordination and mutual understanding to safeguard national sovereignty and the people's safety with "solid combat power."

The drills featured the Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat, designed for surprise attacks, and tested the Coast Guard's ability to adapt patrol vessels for wartime roles. An Anping-class patrol vessel led missile boats to simulate engagement with invading Chinese amphibious assault ships. The exercises also included the deployment of new medium-sized kamikaze drones for coastal defense operations.

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I also hope that everyone will respond actively during the exercises, and strengthen coordination and mutual understanding, so that you can respond to all kinds of situations and safeguard national sovereignty and the safety of the people with solid combat power.