TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Han Kuang 41 military exercise entered its sixth day on Monday (July 14), featuring critical operations across multiple strategic locations. The drills focused on defending Taiwan's capital against potential threats through both conventional and asymmetric warfare tactics.
Military police collaborated with Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (台北捷運公司) during early morning hours to conduct material repurposing exercises. Nearly 100 soldiers utilized the metro's underground tunnel network for equipment and personnel transportation, with the transit authority providing a special troop transport train after regular service hours ended.
The exercise prominently featured U.S.-supplied FIM-92 Stinger missiles to reinforce low-level air defense capabilities around Taipei. Chieh Chung (揭仲), an Associate Research Fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR, 國防安全研究院), highlighted the strategic value of Taipei's extensive underground infrastructure, drawing parallels to historical urban warfare scenarios like the Battle of Stalingrad and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Later that morning, army engineering units conducted waterway defense operations in the Tamsui River (淡水河). This marked the first deployment test of innovative barrier systems consisting of explosive barrels and steel obstacles, designed to counter potential enemy naval incursions. Chieh emphasized the river's strategic significance due to its proximity to key government and economic centers.
Naval officials underscored the strategic necessity of defensive mine deployment in territorial waters, noting its alignment with international law. They emphasized asymmetric warfare's advantages: lower costs, rapid deployment capability, and potential to inflict significant damage on adversaries.
Taipei's strategic importance stems from its location just 22 kilometers from the Office of the President (總統府). This year's exercises specifically address scenarios anticipating a potential Chinese invasion by 2027, reflecting heightened security concerns.
Following a January incident involving a Chinese national piloting a speedboat into Taiwan via the Tamsui River, the Navy has strengthened coordination with the Coast Guard Administration (CGA, 海巡署). Enhanced measures include additional naval and coast guard patrols, while Marine Corps reconnaissance teams have been deployed to bolster anti-decapitation defense capabilities.
