TAIPEI (Realist English). In a dramatic shift in military readiness, Taiwan’s armed forces brought the country’s annual Han Kuang exercise into the heart of urban life this week, staging combat drills and logistical operations in city streets and metro stations to simulate a Chinese invasion.
In the early hours of Monday morning, military police armed with Javelin anti-tank missiles emerged from a Taipei metro station, establishing fighting positions among shuttered storefronts. Simultaneously, army logistics units used the capital’s MRT network to transport munitions and supplies — part of a wider effort to prepare for sustained combat in civilian areas should China launch an all-out assault.
The exercises reflect a growing recognition in Taipei that a future conflict would not be limited to beaches or border zones. “If there ever is war, they will be fighting right here,” said one elderly local resident, watching the troops from his doorstep.
This year’s Han Kuang drills — the most extensive in their 41-year history — will run for 10 days and include 22,000 reservists, a record number. For the first time, training includes the U.S.-supplied HIMARS rocket system and an expanded focus on decentralized “mission command,” in which frontline units operate independently if communications are disrupted.
Admiral Mei Chia-shu, Taiwan’s chief of general staff, said this shift was essential: “If China attacks, one of the first things to go will be our communications systems.”
Unlike previous iterations focused on coastal defence, this year’s scenario assumes Chinese military manoeuvres near the island — now an almost daily occurrence — could rapidly escalate into a direct strike. The final phase of the exercise will simulate prolonged fighting across Taiwan’s interior, including dense urban terrain.
Military vehicles have maneuvered through city streets with mixed results. In just one week, three incidents occurred: a U.S.-made Paladin howitzer damaged multiple cars after taking a wrong turn; a tank sideswiped a parked car; and a Patriot missile system got stuck under the awning of a noodle shop.
Despite these hiccups, public support for the training remains strong. “They have to train — I understand that,” said a woman whose car was hit. “And our street is really too narrow.”
Analysts say the exercises mark a new stage in Taiwan’s defence posture. “Urban warfare is Taiwan’s best chance to hold out,” said a foreign military observer. “The terrain is dense, confusing, and defensible — but only if Taiwan’s forces know how to operate in it.”
Taiwan’s government is no longer shielding the public from the realities of war. The 2024 Han Kuang drills represent a serious shift: from rehearsed displays to real-world combat scenarios, carried out in the middle of the nation’s capital. It sends a clear message — to both China and Taiwan’s own citizens — that defence of the island will be a whole-of-society effort.
