The annual “Han Guang 41” military exercise of the Republic of China Armed Forces started on July 9th, lasting for 10 days, making it the longest, most comprehensive, and largest mobilization exercise in years. It incorporates five major features, including gray zone operations and urban resilience drills for the first time, fundamentally transforming the traditional military maneuvers and demonstrating a holistic defense strategic mindset.
For decades, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has not abandoned the possibility of using force to take over Taiwan. This year’s Han Guang exercise envisions a scenario in which the CCP launches an attack before 2027. U.S. defense officials have also mentioned this timeframe as a potential acceleration for the CCP’s military preparedness.
The “Han Guang” exercise has been held annually for over forty years, simulating a comprehensive invasion scenario by the CCP. This year’s exercise, held from July 9th to 18th, spans 10 days and 9 nights, double the duration of previous Han Guang exercises.
The Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan emphasizes that this exercise begins with gray zone harassment scenarios and covers various military operations such as transitioning from peacetime to wartime, joint anti-landing operations, coastal defense, depth defense, and prolonged warfare to enhance Taiwan’s asymmetric warfare and deep strike capabilities.
During the exercise, 22,000 reserve military personnel were mobilized, a fifty percent increase from the previous year, setting a record high. The intensity of training is unprecedented, with reserve brigades being formed for the first time to undergo realistic combat training.
Throughout the exercise, the Taiwanese Air Force conducted F-16 fighter jets’ hot refueling drills at the Hualien base, while the Army carried out live-fire exercises with the “M1A2T Main Battle Tank,” a customized version provided by the United States.
The exercise also introduced the use of the “HIMARS M142 Multiple Launch Rocket System,” unmanned boats, alongside new-generation anti-ship and air defense weapons to enhance Taiwan’s asymmetric warfare and deep strike capabilities, establishing multiple deterrent layers.
Military experts believe that the key to any protracted conflict lies in whether the Taiwanese military can persist until assistance arrives from the United States. President Tsai Ing-wen praised the U.S. support for Taiwan’s defense during the “Unity in National Security” speech event in early July, including supplying arms and training.
One of the highlights of this year’s Han Guang exercise is the formal inclusion of “gray zone operations” throughout the training. The CCP’s recent conduct suggests that Beijing may use such actions to disrupt Taiwan’s military deployments and provoke tensions.
The exercise will simulate CCP’s unmanned drone harassment, cyber attacks, information warfare, and militia vessels crossing borders to respond to the CCP’s provocative strategy of escalating from “exercise to war.”
Former director of the Political Warfare Institute at Taiwan’s National Defense University, Yu Zongji, explained to Epoch Times that the CCP tests Taiwan’s bottom line through actions like cutting undersea cables, crossing median lines, psychological and legal warfare to provoke Taiwan into responding first, thereby justifying its military escalation actions.
Yu further pointed out that if Taiwan fails to establish a decision-making mechanism in advance, it might fall into a passive or even undeclared war situation.
This year’s exercise is the first to combine urban defense and air defense drills. It simulated evacuation scenarios at “Carrefour” supermarkets in Taipei, Taichung, and Tainan to test the supermarkets’ roles as shelters, supply points, and communication centers during wartime.
According to Yu, “This marks a strategic transformation. We are transitioning from the mindset of ‘quick war and quick decision’ to ‘all-encompassing people’s prolonged resistance.’ Supermarkets during wartime are not just supply points but also key elements of societal defense.”
Supermarkets, retail chains, telecommunications, power, water, logistics, and financial systems are critical infrastructure during wartime. Chen Wenjia, director of National and Regional Development Research Center at Kai Nan University in Taiwan, analyzed during an Epoch Times interview that private enterprises are pivotal in a “resilient society,” and the inclusion of supermarkets in the exercise signifies Taiwan’s shift from traditional “military defense” to “full societal mobilization.”
Chen also mentioned that Taiwan could learn from Israel’s experience in developing corporate defense mission systems, establishing multi-tiered structures for information dissemination, sheltering, logistics support to become a true “all-society defense mobilization network.”
With the mobilization of 22,000 reserve military personnel, the training content no longer consists of mere theoretical lessons but includes the formation of brigades, live ammunition distribution, and actual combat participation.
Yu emphasized, “In the past, reserve military training involved only 6 rounds of ammunition per person, but this time it has increased to 60 rounds, with shooting drills performed in different positions. Nearly 3,000 to 4,000 personnel directly formed into combat-ready brigades after field training, marking the first such comprehensive organization and training depth in history.”
Yu stressed that future efforts should allocate more resources to reserve forces, integrate them with civil defense, and establish rapid response systems similar to Israel’s model.
Ian Easton, associate professor at the U.S. Naval War College, highlighted in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that the mobilization of reserve personnel is crucial for Taiwan’s defense as the regular armed forces may not be sufficient for a large-scale conflict.
“These reserve personnel provide professional skills and manpower, filling defense gaps across Taiwan,” he said.
This year’s exercise also involved retired U.S. General Robert Abrams as a consultant for the first time and included former Japan Self-Defense Forces Chief of Staff Shigeru Iwasaki in political guidance, underscoring the increased coordination between Taiwan and the U.S.-Japan security systems.
Simultaneously, the U.S. Pacific Air Forces conducted the “Resolute Pacific (ReforPac)” joint training with multiple countries in the Pacific region from July 10th to August 8th, covering Hawaii, Guam, and Japan. The exercise involved over 300 military aircraft and focused on rapid deployment in the battlefield, hot refueling, and mission execution in a networked environment.
U.S. Pacific Air Forces Commander General Kevin Schneider emphasized, “We must be prepared to operate under stringent conditions, maintain operational and decision-making capabilities, even in information paralysis or logistics disruption.”
Taiwan’s authorities stated that this exercise not only showcases technical synchronization but also signifies Taiwan and regional allies jointly defending against gray zone threats and comprehensive military challenges.
In response to criticisms from the CCP Taiwan Affairs Office that the Han Guang exercise is for “preparing for independence,” Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council refuted on the 10th that Taiwan has possessed a complete defense system since 1949. MAC spokesperson Liang Wenjie emphasized, “A strong national defense is the best guarantee for maintaining the status quo and safeguarding democracy and freedom.”
Amid the ongoing exercise, the CCP has intensified its aerial harassment against Taiwan. Starting from July 1st, more than 40 military aircraft were dispatched daily on average to provoke Taiwan, with 27 aircraft crossing the median line and eight warships remaining active near the Taiwan Strait.
President Tsai Ing-wen stressed, “Defending Taiwan is not only the responsibility of the military but a manifestation of the will of the whole nation.” During his inspection of the M1A2T tank training on the 10th, he noted that all tanks achieved a full hit rate, demonstrating the military’s “script-less combat capability,” and urged unity to safeguard national sovereignty.
Dr. Su Ziyun from the Institute for National Defense and Security Studies in Taiwan told BBC that this exercise showcases not just firepower but demonstrates Taiwan’s capability to independently and persistently resist in worst-case scenarios to the international community, no longer solely depending on external assistance.