Taiwan's Lai Ching-te Observes Missile Drill in Pingtung, Vows Stronger Defence
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te inspected a joint missile exercise in Pingtung and pledged continued support for military training and combat readiness.
Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te visited a missile base in Pingtung on Friday to observe a joint precision missile-firing exercise involving the island's three armed services, commending the troops for their performance.
The three-day drill, conducted under Taiwan's defence operations plan for Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, included joint air defence, counter-attack operations, sea-air coordination, coastal strikes and near-shore defence missions, Lai said.
"As of today, all mission objectives have been successfully achieved, and I would like to highly commend the performance of all officers and soldiers," he said.
During the visit, Lai watched through a telescope as a Taiwan-made Brave Wind anti-air missile and a U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) were fired. A monitor image showed a missile striking a target ship anchored at sea.
Defence Minister Wellington Koo was also present.
Lai said the exercise demonstrated improvements in the armed forces' overall combat capabilities and pledged continued government backing for military training, equipment upgrades and combat readiness.
"Peace is hard-won and requires unwavering resolve and sufficient strength to safeguard it," he said. "Every realistic combat exercise further enhances combat capabilities, strengthens preparedness, and adds to the power to defend peace."
He later handed out red envelopes to the troops.
The exercise comes as Taiwan continues to stress joint operations and combat readiness amid growing military pressure from China. Taiwan's armed forces regularly hold live-fire and joint-service drills to test their ability to respond to potential threats across air, sea and coastal areas.