Taiwan begins annual Han Kuang war games amid rising China pressure
Taiwan has begun its annual Han Kuang military exercise, the island's largest war game, with drills starting on 5 August and scheduled to run until 14 August. The exercise is designed to prepare troops, reservists and civilians for a possible attack on the island. It comes as Taiwan continues to face sustained military pressure from China.
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The drills include combat scenarios for troops and reservists, with defence officials saying the aim is to make the exercise closer to real battlefield conditions. On Wednesday, dozens of reservists were seen on a beach facing the Taiwan Strait firing Taiwanese-made assault rifles at targets on a shoreline that could be used in an invasion. Officials also said the exercise includes civilian air raid drills and a temporary slowdown in mobile internet speeds.
A senior defence official said the military wants units to test their operational capabilities without waiting for wartime conditions. One focus this year is decentralising command and control so commanders and officers can make decisions more quickly on the battlefield. Another is drone "kill chain" operations, involving reconnaissance drones and attack drones working together with other means of attack.
The exercise takes place against a backdrop of heightened cross-strait tension. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has threatened to use force to seize the island, which has a population of about 23 million. Beijing has increased military pressure in recent years, with fighter jets and warships operating around Taiwan on an almost daily basis, alongside large-scale drills and coast guard activity described by officials as grey-zone pressure.
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Han Kuang has become a central part of Taiwan's defence planning as the island seeks to strengthen deterrence and improve readiness. The current exercise also reflects Taiwan's effort to adapt its forces with smaller, more mobile weapons, including drones, and to involve civilians more directly in emergency preparedness. That approach suggests a broader shift from conventional military training towards whole-of-society resilience.
What remains unclear is how Taiwan will assess the exercise once it ends and whether the drills will lead to further changes in command structure, reserve training or drone operations. It is also not yet clear how China will respond publicly or militarily to the war games. The exercise is expected to continue through 14 August, with officials likely to focus on lessons learned from the simulated attack scenarios.
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