Taiwan launches major war games to test command flexibility

TAIPEI - Taiwan began major military drills on Wednesday to test commanders’ ability to fight on the fly when enemy movements defy expectations, while temporarily limiting internet access for the first time, senior Taiwan officials said.

The 10-day annual Han Kuang exercise began early in the morning after an underground command center in Taipei issued the drill order, triggering combat-readiness moves that will include fighter-jet dispersals and emergency naval deployments, two senior Taiwan officials briefed on the matter told Reuters.

Taiwan will also incorporate for the first time a so-called “backbrief” approach modeled on U.S. military practice, in which junior officers receiving orders restate mission details to commanders — a move aimed at improving coordination, the officials added, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

The move, one of the officials said, is to “ensure commanders and subordinates are in sync on operational intent.”

The drill will also focus on a key wartime concern: that China, which claims Taiwan as its own despite the island’s objections, would try to paralyze command centers, ports, logistics and defense industry sites early in an attack.

China’s defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment. China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.

Held annually since 1984, the drills will include for the first time the deliberate slowing of mobile internet speeds to test how civilians would communicate if bandwidth became scarce.

The military will simulate the wartime relocation of a major arsenal, mobilize civilian factories and run escort drills off Taiwan’s Pacific coast, as concern grows that Beijing may be rehearsing how to sever the island’s Pacific supply lines from allies as Chinese military pressure intensifies.

“These are all part of a series of toughening exercises — this is no longer a laboratory-like exercise in a vacuum,” said a third senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the operation.

“You are entering a real field environment, facing real bottom-line conditions. We hope the final phase of training reaches that state,” the defense official said.

That is part of Taiwan’s ongoing effort to make its exercises more realistic, following past criticism that some drills were too highly staged.

The effort has included resilience drills testing how local officials would keep the government running during cascading crises, from earthquakes to a Chinese invasion.

“If the situation does not match the original enemy scenario, what should he do? How should he reassess, readjust, and quickly issue orders?” the defense official said, referring to field commanders who will be tested with “unexpected scenarios” during the drills, which end on Aug. 14.

The drills will also mobilize more than 20,000 reservists.

On the sports field of a Taipei high school on Wednesday, dozens of reservists gathered to practice using mortars and taking up rifle positions.

The military will also introduce an “embedded reporter” mechanism to assess wartime frontline news releases and efforts to counter enemy disinformation, the officials said.

“The emphasis will be on how our entire population, the Republic of China as a whole — especially our citizens — should face war,” the defense official said, using Taiwan’s official name.

台北——台湾高级官员表示，台湾周三开始举行大规模军事演习，以测试指挥官在敌军行动出乎意料的情况下随机应变作战的能力，同时首次暂时限制了互联网访问。

据路透社报道，两名了解此事的台湾高级官员透露，为期 10 天的年度“汉光”演习于清晨开始，此前台北地下指挥中心下达了演习命令，引发了包括战斗机分散部署和紧急海军部署在内的战备行动。

台湾还将首次采用一种仿照美国军事惯例的所谓“复述”方法，即由接到命令的下级军官向指挥官复述任务细节——此举旨在改善协调，官员们补充说，由于此事敏感，他们要求匿名。

一位官员表示，此举是为了“确保指挥官和下属在作战意图上保持一致”。

此次演习还将重点关注一个重要的战时问题：中国声称台湾是其领土的一部分，尽管台湾方面反对，但中国仍会试图在攻击初期瘫痪台湾的指挥中心、港口、后勤和国防工业设施。

中国国防部未回应置评请求。中国从未放弃使用武力将台湾置于其控制之下。

该演习自 1984 年以来每年举行，今年将首次故意降低移动互联网速度，以测试如果带宽变得稀缺，平民将如何进行通信。

随着中国军事压力的加大，人们越来越担心北京可能正在演练如何切断台湾与盟友之间的太平洋补给线，因此，军方将模拟战时大型军火库的搬迁，动员民用工厂，并在台湾太平洋沿岸进行护航演习。

“这些都是一系列强化演习的一部分——这不再是真空中的实验室演习了，”第三位高级官员说道，由于行动的敏感性，他要求匿名。

“你们即将进入真实的战场环境，面对真实的严峻考验。我们希望训练的最后阶段能够达到这种状态，”这位国防官员说道。

这是台湾为使演习更加贴近现实而持续努力的一部分，此前台湾的一些演习曾受到批评，认为其过于程式化。

这项工作包括开展韧性演习，测试地方官员如何在地震、中国入侵等一系列危机中维持政府运转。

“如果实际情况与最初的敌情设想不符，他应该怎么办？他应该如何重新评估、调整并迅速下达命令？”这位国防官员说道，他指的是在8月14日结束的演习中，一线指挥官将面临“意想不到的情况”的考验。

此次演习还将动员超过2万名预备役人员。

周三，在台北一所高中的运动场上，数十名预备役人员聚集在一起练习使用迫击炮和占据步枪阵地。

官员们表示，军方还将引入“随军记者”机制，以评估战时前线新闻稿和打击敌方虚假信息的举措。

这位国防官员用台湾的正式名称表示：“重点将放在我们全体人民，整个中华民国——特别是我们的公民——应该如何面对战争上。”