TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Presidential Office (總統府) announced on Thursday (Dec. 26) that Taiwan will conduct small-scale, unscripted verification drills in various counties and cities next March and June. These "urban resilience exercises" (城鎮韌性演習), according to Deputy Secretary-General of the National Security Council Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆), will integrate the "Min An" and "Wan An" drills while remaining distinct from the Ministry of National Defense's (MND, 國防部) Han Kuang exercises.
President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) revealed that starting next year, the air defense and rescue "Wan An" and "Min An" drills will be restructured into the "2025 Urban Resilience Exercises." Lin clarified that these exercises will adopt scenarios similar to the Han Kuang exercises, focusing on non-military department responses. Lin emphasized that the drills will be small-scale and unscripted, allowing for validation in each county and city.
Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) explained that the Ministry of the Interior's manpower burden stems primarily from the need for inter-ministerial collaboration. Liu stated that the purpose of the drills is to identify existing vulnerabilities and enhance financial and cybersecurity resilience. She added that a financial war game conducted by a Taiwan-U.S. think tank aims to strengthen offshore cloud data backups and cybersecurity resilience in the short term.
The report indicated that the United States and other allies are assisting Taiwan in enhancing financial resilience and supporting its bid to join the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Lin highlighted the substantial international support for Taiwan, particularly from countries with shared values willing to provide resource assistance. As Taiwan braces for these comprehensive exercises, the focus on strengthening resilience underscores the nation's commitment to safeguarding its infrastructure and security.
