Taiwan Army Launches Combat Readiness Drills Amid Chinese Pressure

Taiwan's military commenced five days of "combat readiness" drills on Monday, a move designed to bolster its response capabilities and verify the effectiveness of joint troop operations. The exercises, scheduled to run until June 26, are a key component of the armed forces' annual training program and aim to prepare units for potential conflict scenarios.

According to the Ministry of National Defense (MND), the drills focus on training units at all levels during alert status deployment. The objective is to familiarize soldiers with combat practices and battlefield conditions, thereby enhancing the rapid transition from a state of peace to war. The exercises will simulate various situations to guide units in executing combined combat operations, emphasizing "real personnel, real terrain, real time, real equipment, and real execution."

The MND stated that the drills will refine command mechanisms across all levels and improve units' ability to operate under actual combat conditions. Key areas of focus include enhancing command and control of joint operations, ensuring logistical sustainability, and managing the geographical and military factors of the battlefield. This initiative underscores Taiwan's commitment to strengthening its defense posture in response to escalating military pressure from China.

These maneuvers were announced on the same day that China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) conducted a "long-distance high seas training" exercise involving numerous military aircraft near Taiwan. Taiwan's MND reported that 21 Chinese aircraft, including J-16 fighters, KJ-500 early warning aircraft, and YU-20 tankers, operated in areas near the island. Nineteen of these aircraft entered Taiwan's self-declared Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the southwest and the western Pacific.