Taipei, Taiwan (Agencies) – Taiwan has kicked off its most expansive and intense military exercise to date, the Han Kuang 41 drills, aimed at preparing the island for a potential invasion by China. Running from 9 to 18 July, the 10-day, round-the-clock operation spans land, sea, air, and cyber domains, and includes both conventional warfare simulations and urban survival scenarios under live-fire conditions.
This year’s drills mark a significant escalation in Taiwan’s defense posture. For the first time, the military is deploying U.S.-made M1A2T Abrams tanks and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), both of which were recently acquired to bolster Taiwan’s asymmetric warfare capabilities4. The HIMARS, with a range of up to 300 kilometers, can target strategic positions across the Taiwan Strait, including coastal installations in China’s Fujian province.
The exercises began with simulations of “gray zone” tactics, including cyberattacks, misinformation campaigns, and harassment by Chinese maritime militia vessels near Taiwan’s outlying islands. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense reported that 31 Chinese aircraft sorties and seven naval ships were detected near the island on the first day of the drills, with 24 aircraft crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait.
Urban resilience is a major focus this year. In Taipei, the Wanban Bridge was shut down to simulate blocking enemy forces from entering the capital. Troops constructed multi-layered barricades using buses, barbed wire, and Hesco bastions. Civilian infrastructure, including convenience stores and supermarkets, participated in evacuation and supply distribution exercises, reflecting a whole-of-society approach to national defense.
More than 22,000 reservists have been mobilized—the largest number in Han Kuang history. They are undergoing refresher training in firearms, tactical maneuvers, and civil defense coordination. The drills also include air-raid simulations, traffic control, and emergency shelter operations across 22 cities and counties, with fines imposed for non-compliance under Taiwan’s Civil Defense Act.
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te has emphasized the importance of self-defense, stating that only the people of Taiwan can decide their future. In response, China’s Ministry of National Defense dismissed the drills as “a bluff,” while its foreign ministry reiterated opposition to U.S.-Taiwan military cooperation.
Despite Beijing’s criticism, Taiwan’s defense officials say the exercises are modeled on lessons from Ukraine’s resistance and are designed to test real-time combat readiness, decentralized command structures, and resilience under sustained attack.