Taiwan conducts live-fire drills with US-made tanks
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TaiwanPlus on MSNTaiwan Hosts First Urban Resilience Exercise With Air Raid DrillsTaiwan has conducted its first urban resilience exercise. Residents of three cities practised how to evacuate and seek shelter during an air raid, including while out shopping for groceries.
The island of Taiwan is holding its annual Han Kuang Exercise, which began Wednesday and will run until July 18. Compared to past years, this year's drills focus more on real-life scenarios and are conducted more openly.
Taiwan's military has, for the first time, opened to the media a live-fire drill using US-made Abrams main battle tanks.
Taiwan included its first batch of 38 U.S.-purchased M1A2T Abrams tanks in a live-fire exercise at Hsinchu military base on Thursday, as it launched its annual military exercises intended to guard against Chinese threats.
Expanded Han Kuang Exercise is simulating a prolonged PLA attack with a ‘scenario-driven, no spoiler’ approach, officials say.
The early stages of the annual Han Kuang exercises would also focus on testing how Taiwan’s military can decentralize command in the event of a crippling communications attack.
China views the democratically governed island as its own and has intensified military pressure around Taiwan over the last five years. Lai's comments also come ahead of a recall parliamentary election on July 26 that could see his ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) take back control of the legislature.
Han Kuang drills, its longest yet, follow new weapon deliveries and come amid rising tensions and PLA ‘harassment’ from China.
Taiwan's newly acquired HIMARS and Abrams tanks would raise the costs of a Chinese amphibious landing, a defense analyst says.