On July 16, during the 8th day of the Republic of China’s military exercise “Han Guang 41”, a simulated scenario of the People’s Liberation Army landing on Taiwan was conducted. The military carried out depth defense operations. The Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan announced at noon that starting from 8:07 a.m., a total of 38 sorties of Communist aircraft were detected engaging in activities at sea, harassing the surrounding airspace and waters of Taiwan. The Taiwanese military closely monitored the situation and took appropriate measures.
According to reports from military news agencies, the “Han Guang 41” exercise continued day and night without interruption. In the early hours of the day, the third operational zone conducted anti-aircraft landing operations. Under the cooperation of the military units within the defense perimeter, including the air force, military police, and marine corps, along with the Taipei City Government Police Department’s Songshan Branch, they worked together to safeguard the security of Taipei Songshan Airport.
The simulation in the third operational zone involved enemy helicopter formations conducting vertical assault landings. The air force, military police, and marine corps personnel within the defense perimeter utilized anti-aircraft networks and firepower to suppress the enemy. Smoke screens were also deployed to cover the drop zones, while the marine corps personnel carried portable anti-aircraft missiles and coordinated with the base’s air defense firepower to strike aerial targets.
Subsequently, various defense units utilized armored vehicles, wheeled vehicles, artillery, and various types of firepower to continuously weaken the enemy’s combat capabilities. The exercise aimed to eliminate invading forces and verify the results of their everyday training, demonstrating the joint combat capabilities of the military units.
The planned program for the “Han Guang 41” exercise by the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China involved simulating deep operations against Taiwan from the 15th to the 16th. On the 15th, Defense Minister Gu Li Xiong visited the Hualien area in the evening to oversee the night-time runway repair exercises for the Han Guang exercise by the air force units and the operational procedures, encouraging the soldiers’ hard work and dedication day and night.
Upon arriving at the base, Defense Minister Gu Li Xiong first received a briefing on the runway repair exercise and personally inspected the rapid repair team’s quick execution of tasks such as crater inspection, damage area identification and filling, and laying of fiberglass mats. Mobile barrier ropes were also set up on-site, swiftly restoring operational conditions to maintain stable air defense operations.
Gu Li Xiong then visited the command post to understand the operational status and command control actions, listened to mission briefings and exercise progress, acknowledging the soldiers’ high level of professionalism and calm responsiveness in the face of rapidly changing situations, ensuring seamless operation of the command and control system during combat.
During the visit, Gu Li Xiong expressed special concern for the military reserve duty personnel participating in the exercise, thanking them for their efforts and dedication to combat readiness tasks. He also comforted the on-duty and standby soldiers, inquiring about their physical and mental well-being during long periods of duty and nighttime exercises, urging unit leaders to properly handle living arrangements and rest care, ensuring that the soldiers are in the best condition to engage in training tasks and collectively safeguard national security.
At noon on the same day, the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China released a press release, stating that since 8:07 a.m., a total of 38 sorties of various types of Communist aircraft, including J-16s and KJ-500s, as well as drones, had been detected engaging in activities at sea. Among them, 28 sorties crossed the median line and its extension, entering the central and southwest airspace of Taiwan, coordinating with Communist vessels under the guise of “combined combat readiness and patrol,” disrupting the airspace and waters around Taiwan. The Taiwanese military used joint intelligence surveillance means to tightly control the situation and deployed mission aircraft, ships, and shore missile systems to respond appropriately.
In another news release in the morning, the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China stated that from 6:00 a.m. on the 15th to 6:00 a.m. today, a total of 18 sorties of Communist aircraft (including 6 sorties intruding into the airspace of northern, central, southwest, and eastern Taiwan) as well as 7 Communist vessels and 2 government ships continued activities around the Taiwan Strait. The Taiwanese military utilized mission aircraft, ships, and shore missile systems to closely monitor and respond.
The Matsu Defense Command (Matsu Command) conducted joint support operations with the Matsu Airport and the Aviation Police Taipei Branch stationed on Nangan, simulating enemy fires and attacks intended to occupy the airport tower. Upon receiving the alert, the Nangan Garrison Battalion mobilized immediately to implement support operations, demonstrating the island’s independent combat and solid crisis response capabilities.
In response to the emergency situation, the airport quickly broadcasted evacuation instructions for civilians to move to safe areas, while the firefighting unit rushed to the scene to extinguish fires. The Garrison Battalion personnel drove CM21 armored personnel carriers to the Nangan Airport, swiftly disembarked and prepared for battle, completed the deployment plan, and utilized blocking facilities to seal off roads, conducting reconnaissance, search, and strikes against enemies along the routes, showcasing the results of coordinated combat actions.
To verify the effectiveness of the units’ real combat training, the Dongyin Area Command in Matsu conducted a live-fire exercise of “joint anti-landing operations” today, issuing scenario-based orders to examine the mission command and authorization mechanisms of various responsible zone commanders, integrating the forces and firepower within the defense zone to perform various weapon firings, demonstrating the results of the soldiers’ hard training.
The live-fire exercise simulated enemy beach landings, sequentially conducting tasks such as “anti-air interception,” “anti-aircraft firing,” “beachside annihilation,” “shoreline combat,” and “counter-offensive operations.” Throughout the process, various artillery such as 105mm howitzers and 20mm cannons were used to create a dense network of fire, covering armored vehicles engaging in shoreline combat and counter-offensive operations.
Commander Feng emphasized that the units will continue to uphold the principle of “everywhere is a battlefield, training at all times,” integrating internal forces, implementing various combat readiness training, enhancing integrated combat capabilities, showcasing the will to defend the country with “one island, one destiny, fighting to the end,” and providing the most robust security guarantees for national security.
The Infantry Battalion of the Lieyu Garrison Battalion of the Kinmen Defense Command (Kinmen Command) conducted a progressive resistance combat exercise on the 16th, simulating units adjusting positions and firing locations in response to the enemy’s continuous advance. The soldiers provided zone cover, took turns performing combat tasks, and employed blank ammunition firing to enhance realistic training, flexibly utilizing firepower and terrain to delay enemy movements and demonstrate coordinated combat capabilities, enhancing the overall response and defense operational effectiveness of the units.
Additionally, on the same day, the 120mm mortar platoon of the Kinmen Garrison Battalion conducted a drill simulating artillery emplacement relocation, swiftly changing positions and securing them after completing the initial firing tasks. During the process, the troops proficiently opened facilities, set up mortar placements, and conducted joint operational training, showcasing the unit’s mobility and firepower support capabilities, strengthening battlefield response measures.
Reported by Central News Agency, the Fifth Operational Zone implemented a “depth defense operations exercise” in the Taichung area, simulating the strategic defense of resisting enemy incursions and guiding them into the anticipated areas of annihilation. The exercise involved deploying trailer-mounted missile launchers and tactical short-range UAVs to operate.
In the morning in Wai-Pu District outside Taichung City, the “depth defense operations exercise” was conducted, simulating ongoing incursions by enemy reinforcement forces. The defensive units used terrain and building obstacles to guide and entice enemy forces into the anticipated areas of annihilation. Subsequently, the strike forces used infantry and firepower for joint strikes. Through the seamless cooperation of various units, they demonstrated the resilience of the Taiwanese military defense.
The military emphasized that the key points of the depth defense operations are “combat deterrence,” “targeted attacks on limited objectives in the anticipated annihilation zone,” and “road mobility obstruction.” To execute this drill, the defensive units and main fighting units (joint battalion) closely cooperated and utilized various civilian resources such as buildings, factories, and gas stations to demonstrate the resilience of the whole-of-society defense, effectively achieving the goal of progressively weakening the enemy’s combat capabilities.
At the exercise site, trailer-mounted missile launchers were mobilized to quickly position and conduct firing exercises, as well as 120mm mortar firing drills and tactical short-range UAV operations, demonstrating the excellent training achievements of the Taiwanese military.