The Republic of China’s military “Han Guang 41” live-fire exercise is set to take place from today (9th) to the 18th. The Ministry of National Defense stated that from 6 a.m. on the 8th to 6 a.m. on the 9th, a total of 38 aircraft and vessels from the Chinese Communist Party were detected continuously active around the Taiwan Strait, with the national military closely monitoring and responding to the situation.
The Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China stated on the 8th that the annual major military exercise “Han Guang 41” would commence on the 9th, with the integrated forces of the three military branches conducting a 10-day, 9-night, 24-hour continuous exercise, fully simulating various military operations and the integration of military-civilian coordination in defense operations. Under the requirements of combat training, the national military simulated various battlefield scenarios and incorporated exercise scenarios.
General Meih Chia-shu, Chief of the General Staff of the Republic of China’s Ministry of National Defense, recently emphasized that the Han Guang exercise focuses on combat realism, which means being real-time, on-site, with real troops, and real equipment, while also incorporating “real situations,” meaning that all actions in real combat situations do not follow the original plans. This is why it is necessary to promote “having scenarios but not revealing them” to ensure that the troops do not simulate exercises simply by the book.
The Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China announced this morning the dynamic activities of the Communist forces in the airspace around the Taiwan Strait. From 6 a.m. on the 8th to 6 a.m. on the 9th, a total of 31 instances of Communist aircraft (including 24 instances crossing the central line of the strait into the northern, central, and southwestern airspace) and 7 Communist vessels were detected, totaling 38 Communist aircraft and vessels continuously active around the Taiwan Strait. The national military is closely monitoring and responding to the situation using mission aircraft, ships, and shore-based missile systems.
According to the activities around the Taiwan Strait airspace diagram published today by the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China, from 6:25 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. on the 8th, 15 instances of Communist main and auxiliary combat aircraft and drones were detected in the Taiwan Strait airspace, with 8 instances crossing the central line of the Taiwan Strait. From 6:55 a.m. to 8:40 p.m. on the 8th, 16 instances of Communist main and auxiliary combat aircraft were detected in the southwestern airspace of Taiwan.
In accordance with the schedule of the “Han Guang 41” exercise planned by the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China, from today until the 11th, it will simulate medium to high-intensity gray zone provocations; on the 12th, it will simulate targeted enemy actions against the Taiwanese military; on the 13th, it will simulate enemy joint firepower strikes and landing operations against Taiwan; on the 14th, it will simulate island operations; from the 15th to the 16th, it will simulate enemy deep operations against Taiwan. Through military-civilian coordination, the national military will practice deep defense and sustained combat; from the 17th to the 18th, it will simulate the enemy’s continuous expansion of operations against Taiwan.
Today marks the first day of the Han Guang exercise, with a focus on countering gray zone threats from the enemy against Taiwan, including electronic warfare, misinformation, and threats from militia and coast guard vessels. To prevent the enemy from “turning rehearsal into real battle,” the Navy’s various vessels are expected to be ready for immediate dispatch after completing their preparations, while the Navy’s mobile radar and missile system units are moving to their tactical positions for combat readiness.
In addition to regular troops, this year’s exercise also mobilized reserve forces on a brigade scale for the first time. The Army’s 206th Brigade responsible for defending the Greater Taoyuan area was fully assembled on the 5th, conducting “preparations for war” and “overall combat capability recovery assessments.” This afternoon, the Navy’s Tuo Jiang-class patrol ship, Wan Jiang, received orders to urgently sail out of Keelung Port to carry out tactical maneuvers at sea and converge in the designated area.
President Lai Ching-te of the Republic of China recently extended his encouragement to the national military for the “Han Guang 41 Exercise,” stating that this is an annual comprehensive military verification. Each year and each session have continuously adjusted subjects and increased the intensity of combat realism, with the exercise content keeping pace with modern battlefield trends.
President Lai highlighted that the government will continue to promote various policies, allocate and fight for more defense budgets, reaching a target of over 3% of GDP this year to support the national military, ensuring that everyone can contribute to the country’s defense without worries. He stressed that in the face of regional security situations and gray zone conflicts, the focus of the national military is not just about winning but also on how to “defend successfully,” how to utilize resources and manpower from all sectors for “shared survival,” how to rebuild the country after facing challenges, and restore normalcy as soon as possible.
He emphasized that defense is not just the responsibility of the military but that of the whole nation. In addition to strengthening inter-agency coordination, integrating technological capabilities, promoting cybersecurity infrastructure, and defense technology innovation, the government must deepen the awareness of national defense among the population so that every citizen understands that they are not bystanders but integral to the defense of the country, thus building true “national defense resilience.”