Anti-amphibious landing drills staged on day 4 of military exercises
ROC Central News Agency
07/27/2023 02:50 PM
New Taipei, July 27 (CNA) Taiwan's military on Thursday held an anti-amphibious landing drill near a northern port, which is considered a critical location for repelling a Chinese attack, on the fourth day of the live-fire phase of the annual Han Kuang military exercises.
During the simulated invasion at a beach near the Port of Taipei in New Taipei's Bali District, troops from the Sixth Army Corps took the opposing roles of "red" invading forces and "blue" defense ground troops, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND).
The 30-minute drill began with the "red invading troops" making a forced landing on Bali beach in some 20 AAV7 amphibious assault vehicles, the MND said.
In the defense attempt, the blue team deployed tanks and indigenous CM-32 Clouded Leopard armored vehicles, while also erecting barricades and digging trenches on the beach to slow down the "enemy's" advancement.
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were also used to determine the enemy forces' coordinates, which were then transmitted back to a command center that mobilized ground forces in a counterstrike.
Meanwhile, a "blue" infantry was seen armed with FGM-148 Javelin missiles in the trenches. The portable anti-tank missiles are now highly acclaimed because of their effective use by Ukraine to take out Russian tanks in the ongoing war between those two countries.
In Thursday's invasion simulation in Bali, the defense troops also detonated explosives and smoke grenades to obscure the view of the invading forces and facilitate covert movements by the blue team. The red team, meanwhile, continued to advance on the beach under the cover of AH-64E and UH-60M attack choppers.
As part of the Bali anti-amphibious landing drill, infantry troops stationed at a nearby temporary coastal fortification site took up their designated positions in a 150-meter-long trench.
The fortification site that was set up under an elevated section of Provincial Highway 61 served as a second line of defense during the drill, allowing the blue soldiers to eliminate the members of the red invading forces who managed to advance from the beach with tanks and artillery.
Some aspects of Thursday's anti-landing drill were canceled due to strong winds from Typhoon Doksuri. That meant there was no participation by the Air Force and Navy, which were supposed to deploy fast mine-laying boats and the newly commissioned indigenous Yushan landing platform dock (LPD), a type of naval warship used to transport landing craft such as amphibious vehicles.
According to the defense ministry, Port of Taipei, Bali beach, and Tamsui River estuary are strategic sites, comprising key defensive positions for fending off a potential seaborne invasion of Taiwan by China's People's Liberation Army (PLA).
Defending the area near the mouth of the Tamsui River has always been a priority for Taiwan's military, because if it is breached by enemy forces, they could easily advance into the Greater Taipei area, where major political and economic facilities are located, the MND said.
The Bali drills were inspected Thursday morning by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), despite her positive COVID-19 test two days earlier.
Dressed in full military uniform and wearing a face mask, Tsai boarded a Humvee, accompanied by Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) and other senior military personnel, and they inspected the barricades and trenches on the beach and the temporary fortifications under Provincial Highway 61.
It was the second consecutive day that the president was inspecting the live-fire component of the annual Han Kuang military exercises, which kicked off early Monday and will end on Friday.
Since they were first launched in 1984, the Han Kuang exercises have served as Taiwan's major military drills, comprising live-fire exercises and computerized war games that are meant to test Taiwan's combat readiness in the event of an invasion by China.
This year's tabletop exercises were staged in May.
(By Matt Yu and Joseph Yeh)
Enditem/pc
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