Taiwan Moves Armor and Artillery East in War-Game Response to Simulated Landing

Taiwan’s military conducted a rapid reinforcement drill early Monday, moving tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery from its eastern base in Hualien to Yilan, as part of the annual Han Kuang exercise. The deployment simulated a response to a Chinese amphibious landing aimed at northeastern Taiwan.

The exercise scenario envisioned a People’s Liberation Army force landing near the Lanyang River and attempting to seize Suao Port, a key strategic harbor. In response, the Army’s 2nd Combined Arms Battalion and an artillery battalion from the Hualien Defense Command were ordered to cross the operational zone and reinforce the threatened area before dawn.

Army Lieutenant Colonel Lin Yang explained the mission: "The exercise simulated an enemy landing at Lanyang river, intending to seize Suao Port and prevent us from carrying out strategic material transport. Our mission was to annihilate the enemy outside the port before they even reached it."

The convoy included M-60A3 tanks, M-88A1 armored recovery vehicles, CM-21 armored personnel carriers, and 155mm and 105mm artillery pieces, along with logistics and support vehicles. Troops were seen loading the equipment onto trucks in Hualien, moving them through the night, and unloading them at Yilan before dawn.

This year’s Han Kuang exercise emphasizes unscripted operations, with scenarios issued by military headquarters rather than pre-planned scripts. Lin highlighted the value of this approach: "The Han Kuang unscripted exercises train troops in handling unforeseen situations, as well as my crisis response as a commander. We have completed the relevant joint operational plans and drills, and each action has coordinated efforts. However, the enemy will never attack from the direction we originally anticipated."

The rapid movement from Hualien to Yilan demonstrated Taiwan’s focus on shifting combat power between operational areas and reinforcing critical locations under changing battlefield conditions. The drill is part of Taiwan’s largest annual military exercise, designed to test readiness and coordination across its forces.