Taiwan's military to conduct live-fire defense tests Tuesday
ROC Central News Agency
2011/01/17 17:22:07
By Lee Ming-chung and Sofia Wu
Taipei, Jan. 17 (CNA) Taiwan's armed forces will hold live-fire air defense tests on Tuesday at the Jiupeng air base in the southern county of Pingtung as part of regular training exercises, the Ministry of National Defense said Monday.
President Ma Ying-jeou will witness the tests in his capacity as the commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces, the ministry said in a statement.
Because the tests come on the heels of China's first-known test flight of its radar-eluding stealth fighter, some local military analysts suspected that the exercises, which will include live missile tests, were being held to demonstrate Taiwan's determination to defend its national security.
The ministry said, however, that the operations have long been scheduled without any special considerations.
In line with a military streamlining and restructuring project, the ministry said, military units have had to receive periodic combat readiness tests and evaluations each year since 2006.
Among the 12 units involved in Tuesday's drill will be the Army's 602 Air Cavalry Brigade, the Marine Corps 77 Brigade and the Air Force 427 Wing, the ministry said.
The drills will cover combat tactics, combat strategies and air counterattacks, and involve the test-firing of a variety of missiles, including Tien-kung, Hawk, Sparrow, Stinger, vehicle-launched Tien-chien I short-range, and air-to-air missiles, the ministry said.
The drill will be open to media coverage to help raise security awareness among the public, the ministry said.
It will be the first time in eight years that journalists have been invited to observe training drills at the tightly guarded Jiupeng air base, according to media reports.
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