Taiwan's Military Drills to Simulate Gray-Zone and Invasion Scenarios, Featuring New HIMARS Systems

Upcoming Han Kuang exercises will test responses to Chinese coercion and showcase advanced weaponry in comprehensive defense simulations.

Taiwan's Defense Minister Wellington Koo has announced that the nation's upcoming Han Kuang military exercises will prominently feature simulated responses to "gray-zone coercion" from China. The extensive drills, set to run for 10 days from July 9 to July 18, will be twice as long as previous iterations and will incorporate the deployment of newly acquired advanced weaponry, including the U.S.-supplied M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).

Minister Koo explained that the exercise scenarios will be expanded to include peacetime harassment tactics employed by the People's Liberation Army (PLA). In response, Taiwan's military will rehearse activating emergency command centers and raising readiness levels based on key indicators of a potential PLA attack. Joint Operations Command will issue immediate combat readiness drill orders, and psychological and cyber warfare units will conduct operations to counter the PLA's influence tactics.

The upcoming Han Kuang exercises will see the integration of new defense capabilities into a comprehensive "kill chain" designed to counter a PLA invasion. Beyond the HIMARS, which were procured from Lockheed Martin, the drills will also feature Taiwan-developed Land Sword II surface-to-air missiles and various drone systems making their debut in the exercises.

The structure of the drills will progressively simulate a PLA invasion. From July 9 to 12, exercises will focus on escalated gray-zone harassment. July 13 will concentrate on a simulated joint fire strike and amphibious landing by the PLA, followed by Taiwan's military entering a joint counter-landing phase. The latter half of the drills, from July 14 to 18, will simulate on-island combat, with armed forces conducting coastal and beachhead battles against advancing PLA forces.

In parallel, Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang detailed the newly launched Urban Resilience Exercises and upcoming civil defense drills scheduled for July, designated as "National Unity Month." Three script-free Urban Resilience Exercises, focused on wartime rescue scenarios, will take place on July 15, 16, and 17 in Taichung, Tainan, and Taipei, respectively. These drills are designed to enhance civil-military communication and will run concurrently with the Han Kuang exercises.

Air defense drills are also scheduled across Taiwan. From July 15 to 17, these drills will be held in central, southern, and northern Taiwan from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. In eastern Taiwan and the offshore islands, air defense drills will occur on July 18 between 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.