No harbor barricade drill: Navy
ROC Central News Agency
2010/03/29 18:01:48
Taipei, March 29 (CNA) A military official denied Monday that the Navy will perform a harbor-barricading drill as part of forthcoming war games.
Fielding questions at the Legislative Yuan, the head of the Navy General Staff, Vice Adm. Chiang Lung-an, said that contrary to a story carried in the China Times that day, the Han Kuang 26 live ammunition exercise does not include a drill for blocking a harbor.
The paper claimed in its report that the harbor-barricading drill would have included the simulated blowing up of wharf facilities and the simulated sinking of vessels with explosives to block shipping routes into the harbor.
The China Times said the strategy is worthy of note because it is usually used by forces in retreat to prevent invading forces from chasing them.
According to the paper, the Navy will tow a commercial vessel into the main route of the harbor, whereupon frogmen from the Amphibious Reconnaissance and Research Battalion will sink the vessel with explosives and mine the harbor.
The wreckage and the mines are supposed to block enemy landing craft from entering the harbor and backing up advance troops, said the paper.
The paper quoted military sources as saying that the drill is scheduled to be staged April 26 in Suao naval base in eastern Taiwan, although the harbors of Keelung, Taichung and Kaohsiung are more likely to come under attack in case of war.
Speaking on the same occasion, Deputy Defense Minister Yang Nian-chu confirmed a news report that Taiwan is developing surface-to -surface cruise missiles.
"It is the right direction for the country's strategy of seeking peace through strength," Yang said.
However, he refused to confirm a news report that the missile was ready for test firing in June, and dismissed as groundless a report that Washington promised to help Taiwan with vital components for the missile when Taipei approached it in an attempt to allay possible U.S. concerns about Taiwan's plan.
He admitted that the program will cause concern among neighboring states and said these concerns "should be addressed through diplomacy." Yang also told the lawmakers that the Ministry of National Defense (MND) is not trying to intensify the training and drilling of the armed forces simply to keep it from lapsing into indiscipline.
"There is no link between discipline and training, " Yang said, adding that "we always demand that the armed forces must maintain discipline, while training and drills are meant to prepare them to do what they are supposed to do." In addition to protecting the country's security, the armed forces are obliged to carry out rescue and relief operations in disasters, both of which require the use of complicated equipment for which the operators need proper training, Yang noted.
The China Times quoted Defense Minister Kao Hua-chu as saying that discipline in the armed forces is lax because of their short training courses and easy daily work schedules.
According to the paper, Kao said that military discipline was excellent in 1996 when the country was in a tense confrontation with China and again in 1999, when the armed forces were busy with rescue operations after the Sept. 21 earthquake.
Out of concern that the devil will find work for idle hands, anonymous military officials were quoted by the paper as saying that the MND is working on an intensive training program for recruits this year.
Also Monday, Lt. Gen. Ge Hsi-hsiung, head of Air Force General Staff, told the Legislative Yuan that the Air Force is working hard to improve the capability of its current jet fighter fleet until such time as it can acquire F16C/Ds from the United States.
"We are trying to improve our indigenous defense fighters, F16A/Bs and Mirage 2000 fighters to prevent the military balance across the Taiwan Strait from tilting in favor of China," he said.
Taiwan asked to purchase 66 F16C/Ds in 2006 to replace its aging fleet of F5Es, but the request has not yet been approved by Washington. (By Chou Yung-cheh and Maubo Chang) ENDITEM/J
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