Taiwan Begins 10-Day Han Kuang Military Exercises, Adding U.S.-Modeled Command Methods and First Internet Restrictions
The Facts
- Taiwan began its annual Han Kuang military exercises on Wednesday, Aug. 5, with the drills scheduled to run 10 days through Aug. 14 at locations around the island.
- The live-fire exercises are designed to test the Taiwanese army's ability to sustain 24-hour defense operations and to counter China's "gray-zone tactics," coercive actions that stop short of open warfare.
- Civilians are included in the exercises through urban resilience measures, including air-raid drills and — for the first time — a temporary limitation or slowdown of internet and mobile service to test public response to a disruption.
- This year's drills introduce U.S.-inspired communication methods, including "backbriefs," in which subordinates restate to commanders how they intend to carry out assigned missions; officials say the aim is better coordination and more self-reliant frontline units.
- The drill order was issued in the early morning from an underground command center in Taipei, triggering combat-readiness moves including fighter-jet dispersals and emergency naval deployments, and this year's exercise seeks to decentralize command so field officers can decide without waiting for instructions.
- Reservists are being mobilized alongside active-duty troops, though reported numbers differ: some accounts cite roughly 20,000 reservists while others cite more than 5,000 from two brigades.
- China claims Taiwan as its territory, has not renounced the use of force to take control of the island of 23 million people, and has stepped up military pressure in recent years with near-daily deployments of fighter jets and warships around Taiwan.
- Analysts and officials say the exercise's emphasis on command flexibility, resilience and U.S.-modeled procedures — rather than displays of advanced weaponry — points to closer working ties between Taiwan's military and the United States.
Context
What are "gray-zone tactics" and why is Taiwan drilling against them?
The term refers to coercive actions that remain below the threshold of declared armed conflict Observador,Illawarra Mercury. In practice, Taiwan's defense ministry reports frequent Chinese air and naval activity near the island; before the drills it said it tracked 17 Chinese aircraft, 12 of which crossed the Taiwan Strait median line into its self-declared air defense identification zone as part of a "joint combat readiness patrol" with Chinese navy ships — the second such operation in under a week Notícias ao Minuto. Beijing has also conducted large-scale exercises around the island in recent years Manila times,Kuwait Times.
What scenario are the drills based on?
Taiwan's military says the exercise scenario begins with the People's Liberation Army using joint exercises to conceal preparations for an attack, followed by a naval and air blockade and then an amphibious assault backed by air and naval forces Wake Up Singapore. The exercises combine combat operations with the mobilization of reservists, civilian agencies and critical infrastructure to simulate a prolonged conflict International Busin…,Wake Up Singapore.
What is unresolved or still developing around this story?
The scale of reserve mobilization is reported inconsistently across outlets, from more than 5,000 reservists drawn from two brigades to about 20,000 International Busin…,Wake Up Singapore,RTP - Rádio Televis…,World Socialist. Separately, one report citing the South China Morning Post says Washington has reopened discussions on a roughly $14 billion arms package for Taiwan ahead of a Trump-Xi summit, with Republican Rep. Michael McCaul saying a submission to Congress is expected soon; that account rests on a single source in this pool and is not independently confirmed here O Cafezinho.
Where Left and Right agree, and where they split
- Where Left and Right agree
- The shift toward decentralized command, U.S.-modeled backbriefs and self-reliant frontline units — not new weaponry — is the substantive part of these drills, and both reads treat it as real.
- Where Left and Right split
- The left and the right differ on what these drills really test — military readiness or public accountability.
How left and right read it
Civilians are now inside these drills — air-raid measures and, for the first time, a temporary slowdown of internet and mobile service to test public response. Deepening alignment with the United States, visible in the U.S.-modeled backbriefs and the push to let field officers decide on their own, is described as more visible in recent weeks; it warrants the same transparency owed the people living through the disruption — beginning with reservist mobilization figures that don't even agree.
“While there has long been speculation that the U.S. military has been quietly training Taiwanese troops, the collaboration between the two sides has been more visible in recent weeks.” — ABC News
Ten days of island-wide live fire, testing whether Taiwan's army can sustain 24-hour defense operations, with reservists called up alongside active-duty troops. The emphasis falls on command flexibility and resilience rather than showcasing advanced weaponry — field officers empowered to decide without waiting for instructions. That is a country investing in its own defense. Self-reliant frontline units are what make a partner worth standing with.
This isn't really a story about Taiwan rehearsing for China — it's about whether the test that matters is what the army can sustain or what the public gets told.
The receipts — 35 sources
Wire services (6)
Independent coverage (29)
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