Military exercise simulates Port of Taichung attack

By Jason Pan / Staff reporter





Military units in central Taiwan put advanced weapons and newly acquired attack helicopters into use, with special forces units and armored brigades defending Taichung Port from a simulated enemy assault during the second day of the week-long Han Kuang No. 32 military exercises.

UH-60M Black Hawk, AH-1W Super Cobra and twin-rotor CH-47 Chinook transport helicopters flew sorties to showcase rapid response and combat capabilities.

The exercise simulated a landing by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at the Port of Taichung, which is considered strategically important, due its location in the middle of Taiwan proper.

Soldiers operate vehicle-mounted machine guns as they take part in the annual Han Kuang exercise at the Joint Operations Training Base in Pingtung County yesterday. Photo: Chang Chung-i, Taipei Times

The military’s 10th Army Corps is responsible for the port’s defense.

The 10th Army Command dispatched two special forces units to repel the initial attack and maintain the port’s operations, supported by an armored brigade, which advanced into the combat area with CM32 “Snow Leopard” armored personnel carriers and M60A3 main battle tanks.

National Airborne Service Corps (NASC) aircraft also participated in the air mobility deployment and evacuation operations.

Soldiers taking part in the annual Han Kuang Exercise at the Joint Operations Training Base in Pingtung County yesterday practice rope descent from a helicopter. Photo: Chang Chung-i, Taipei Times

It was the first time that the NASC — which is mainly tasked with civilian search-and-rescue missions — took part in the Han Kuang live-fire drills.

“We were tasked with neutralizing the attack and repelling the enemy from Taichung Port facilities. I led my platoon into the buildings to clear out enemy soldiers one by one for the combat operation. We did our job, and it has been a valuable learning experience for us,” said Lieutenant Lin Kuan-ting (林冠廷), who led a special forces platoon in the exercise.

Drills in northern Taiwan, under the command of the 6th Army Corps, went smoothly and the Hsuehshan Tunnel (雪山隧道) was reopened for traffic at 4:30am yesterday morning, ahead of the scheduled time of 6am.

The tunnel and sections of the Chiang Wei-shui Memorial Freeway (Freeway No. 5) between New Taipei City’s Shiding District (石碇) and Yilan County’s Toucheng Township (頭城) are scheduled to close again from 12am to 6am today, for a small-scale drill that is part of the Han Kuang exercises.

According to military officials, the drill will simulate a landing by the PLA’s amphibious units and special forces on Taiwan’s northeast coast, setting up beachheads before mounting a rapid assault on the seat of the government in Taipei by taking the most direct route through the tunnel.

In southern Taiwan, Chief of the General Staff Yen Te-fa (嚴得發) presided over preparations for live-fire drills involving the army, navy and air force scheduled to take place tomorrow at the military’s Joint Operations Training Base Command (三軍聯訓基地) in Pingtung County.

During the preparations, two army soldiers sustained minor cuts when their transport overturned on a road in Pingtung County on Monday after its wheels sank into a ditch and the vehicle listed to one side.