【Epoch Times May 23, 2025】The annual important military exercise “Han Guang No. 41” of the Republic of China’s Armed Forces will take place in July. Minister of National Defense, Gu Li-xiong, in an exclusive interview with Central News Agency, emphasized the need for the military to adopt a pragmatic attitude towards defense readiness and introduced 7 new methods to enhance combat deployment effectiveness, increase reserve mobilization scale, and construct simulated combat sequences, aiming to respond to the possible rapid transition to warfare by the Chinese Communist Party.
The Han Guang No. 41 exercise has already held a high-level staff map exercise in February and conducted a computer-aided command post exercise (computer war game simulation) in April. The live drill is scheduled to take place from July 9 to 18, lasting 10 days and 9 nights, doubling the duration compared to last year’s “Han Guang No. 40” live drill which was initially planned for 5 days and 4 nights.
In the interview, Gu Li-xiong stressed that he requires military personnel to approach the exercises with a “pragmatic” attitude towards defense readiness. Whether it is the computer-aided command post exercise or the upcoming live drill, they must face them with a practical mindset to identify and address any issues and determine the capacity to resolve them.
Regarding the transformation and direction of the military exercises from Han Guang No. 40 to Han Guang No. 41, Gu Li-xiong highlighted key elements such as no scripted operations, no prior rehearsals, absence of simulated enemies, troops returning to original positions, emphasizing continuity and agility, and conducting drills with a focus on “live troops, live field, real-time, real equipment.”
Concerning the addition of 7 new exercise methods, Gu Li-xiong mentioned aspects including conducting exercises in the grey zone, reviewing combat deployment effectiveness, enhancing reserve mobilization scale, constructing simulated combat sequences, promoting military-civilian integration coordination, testing the combat effectiveness of new equipment, and deepening military exchanges.
In terms of reviewing combat deployment effectiveness, Gu Li-xiong explained the importance of practical drills in determining the time and resources required, as it is impossible to imagine these aspects solely on paper. The immediate implementation of combat readiness exercises by the military is also in response to the potential for rapid transitioning from exercises to real warfare by the Chinese Communist Party.
Regarding deepening military exchanges, Gu Li-xiong acknowledged the sensitivity of the issue but highlighted the value of observing allied countries to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the military’s training, areas for improvement, and proposing reports to enhance the military.
The Taiwan military is in the process of introducing new equipment such as M1A2T tanks, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), various types of drones, and there is keen interest in whether these new assets will be utilized in this year’s Han Guang live drill.
Gu Li-xiong stated that currently, HIMARS and drones are expected to be included in the live drill. Lieutenant General Huang Wen-chi, who accompanied Gu Li-xiong in the interview, added that once the main new equipment is officially adopted, such as HIMARS and various drones, they will be included in the preliminary simulations of the Han Guang exercise, while the M1A2T tanks, despite having arrived in Taiwan, will only be fully operational by the end of the year and will not participate in the live drill in July as they are still in the pre-commission training phase.
Huang Wen-chi mentioned that in the “planning aspect” of the exercise, the military will analyze potential future capabilities and hopes to urge the United States to expedite the delivery of relevant weapons, enabling the national military to possess necessary asymmetric capabilities before 2027 to ensure Taiwan’s security.