In response to the threats from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) towards Taiwan, the 2026 Taiwan Town Resilience Exercise will for the first time include a “mobile network slowdown” drill. Presidential spokesperson Guo Yahui pointed out that this is a common practice for democracies to enhance resilience and not unique to Taiwan. Minister of National Defense Gu Li Xiong stated that this exercise is coordinated with the Han Kuang Exercise to test the military’s command and control capabilities in specific scenarios. The results of this verification will lead to comprehensive planning and expansion to other regions.
The National Communications Commission of the Republic of China (NCC) has planned that during the 2026 Taiwan Town Resilience Exercise, the mobile network in the northern and central regions will be disrupted, while the southern region will not be affected. The NCC explained that since the exercise in the south will take place at 10 a.m., coinciding with the stock trading hours, it will impact individuals conducting stock trades through their phones. Therefore, the mobile network slowdown exercise will not be implemented in the southern region.
The exercise in the northern region is scheduled for August 13th from 2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., covering cities and counties including Taipei City, New Taipei City, Keelung City, Taoyuan City, Hsinchu County, Hsinchu City, and Yilan County. The central region exercise will take place on August 10th from 2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., including counties and cities such as Miaoli County, Taichung City, Changhua County, Nantou County, Yunlin County, Chiayi County, and Chiayi City.
President of the Republic of China, Lai Ching-te, attended the “50th Anniversary Summit Forum of the Taiwan Economic Research Institute” today (21st). Presidential spokesperson Guo Yahui held a media interview after the event. Regarding the inclusion of the “mobile network slowdown” exercise for the first time in this year’s Taiwan Town Resilience Exercise, Guo Yahui emphasized that it is not a complete shutdown but rather a slowdown exercise. It is mainly aimed at preparing the public for natural disasters or large-scale cyber-attacks, enabling them to understand how backup systems can switch to fixed-line, WiFi, or other forms of communication. Additionally, this enables government agencies to make adequate cross-preparations.
Guo Yahui stressed that the “mobile network slowdown” exercise is not unique to Taiwan. Democratic countries internationally, such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and the European Union, conduct simulated exercises for scenarios like power outages, cyber-attacks, and communication disruptions to enhance national resilience. This exercise targets the central and northern regions due to their high mobile phone usage and population density, accounting for around 73% of the population and highest mobile phone usage density. Future exercises will expand nationwide, including all cities and counties, with a gradual approach by the government to enhance national communication resilience.
The Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee invited Minister of National Defense Gu Li Xiong on the 20th to report on the “Disputes and Default Delivery Delays in Military Procurement Contracts of the Armed Forces and Enhancements in Procurement Strategies,” followed by queries. Before the meeting, Gu Li Xiong held a media interview. Regarding the disruption of the mobile network in the 2026 Town Resilience Exercise, Gu Li Xiong stated that this initial verification is carried out during the Han Kuang Exercise to test the military’s command and control capabilities in specific situations. It is limited to mobile network slowdown, with no impact on fixed-line networks. Further planning will be done based on the results of this verification and expanded to other areas.
This year, the military’s Han Kuang Exercise integrates a holistic society defense resilience exercise, implementing mobile network slowdown for the first time in 14 cities and counties. Chen Guan-ting, the convener of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee of the Legislative Yuan, expressed during a question session on the 20th that the exercise consists of a pre-planned, time-limited “network slowdown.” However, the real national security risk may be the CCP exploiting the exercise to conduct grey-zone cyber-attacks, potentially escalating the slowdown into a network shutdown or even preventing the network from returning to normal as scheduled.
In response, Minister of National Defense Gu Li Xiong stated that in the face of targeted military exercises or other security situations, the government will establish relevant interagency task groups and establish a joint defense mechanism with relevant agencies. In case the CCP engages in simultaneous cyber-attacks during the exercise, he pledged to consult the NCC, Ministry of Digital Development, and other related agencies for further analysis.
Chen Guan-ting emphasized that such scenarios should not be treated solely as issues of public security or cybersecurity protection. If there are concrete signs of enemy intervention known by relevant units, they should promptly inform the public of the risks while ensuring intelligence security, avoiding misinformation before taking necessary actions. The government should clearly explain before the exercise the extent to which the mobile network will decrease, which functions will be restricted, whether voice and text messages can be used normally, and how to verify the network’s full recovery after the exercise ends. “The clearer the public’s understanding, the better their psychological preparedness; only by facing a crisis can they know how to obtain reliable information and respond accordingly.”