Taiwan conducts psychological warfare drill with broadcasts, leaflets
ROC Central News Agency
07/28/2022 06:17 PM
Taipei, July 28 (CNA) Taiwan's military on Thursday deployed a drone and several vehicles to drop leaflets and broadcast messages in a psychological warfare drill that was part of its annual Han Kuang exercises.
During the drill in Taoyuan, a psychological warfare task force from the Political Warfare Bureau dispatched a drone to scatter leaflets, while its trucks broadcast video and audio propaganda to boost the morale of Taiwanese soldiers, in the scenario of an invasion by China.
Meanwhile, a military truck blared sound effects of fighter jets flying by, shells dropping, and tanks rolling, which were all meant to distract and confuse the enemy on the battlefield, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said.
According to the ministry, cognitive warfare, disinformation campaigns, and rumor spreading have become a major part of modern warfare, alongside conventional kinetic warfare.
The main purpose of psychological warfare is to counter those campaigns and create fear among the enemy, thus weakening their will to fight, the MND said.
The Political Warfare Bureau's special task force is capable of creating and broadcasting audio and video propaganda material and dropping flyers within 30 minutes of receiving an order to do so, according to the ministry.
The psychological warfare drill Thursday was part of the live-fire component of the 38th edition of the annual Han Kuang military exercises, Taiwan's largest war games involving all its military branches.
The exercises, which test the country's combat readiness in the event of a Chinese invasion, kicked off Monday morning and will run until late Friday.
In other Han Kuang drills Thursday, the 99th Marine Brigade held a joint landing operation at a beach in Fangshan Township in the southern county of Pingtung.
Using boats and amphibious assault vehicles, special amphibious troops made a landing at the beach, covered by friendly air and sea forces, according to the MND.
Further north, in Miaoli County, reservists undergoing extended training under the 302nd Infantry Brigade fended off a simulated attempted beach landing by enemy forces.
CM34 and CM32 armored vehicles from the 586 Armored Brigade were also deployed to repel the "invaders."
According to the MND, the first two-days of the Han Kuang exercises tested the military's combat capabilities in the event of a full-scale invasion by China.
On Wednesday, the exercises shifted to simulate the joint interception of invading enemy forces around the country, while on Thursday the focus was on joint homeland defense operations, the MND said.
(By Matt Yu and Joseph Yeh)
Enditem/pc
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