Taiwan Holds Coastal Defense Drill in Taichung Amid China Tensions
Taiwan said the drill showed HIMARS mobility and shoot-and-scoot tactics, with 32 rockets fired in a live-fire exercise, officials said.
- On Tuesday, June 9, 2026, the Taiwanese Army's 10th Corps conducted live-fire coastal defense drills in Taichung, simulating the repulsion of an amphibious invasion force across a 20-kilometer stretch of coastline.
- The exercise reflects Taiwan's broader strategy to modernize its armed forces by adopting less predictable, realistic training methods designed to better prepare troops for actual combat scenarios across the Taiwan Strait.
- Troops deployed domestically developed Thunderbolt-2000 rocket systems and American-made Paladin howitzers to establish a "kill zone" aimed at stopping an amphibious assault, marking the system's first operational live-fire deployment in seven years.
- Military officials noted the drill required significantly less preparation time than previous routines, with troops arriving at positions only one day prior; one MK15 training rocket malfunctioned during the operation.
- Mainland Affairs Council head Chiu Chui-cheng stated Taiwan will use "sufficient deterrent capability" to prevent Beijing from changing the status quo by force, responding to ongoing Chinese coast guard activity reported over the past month.
103 Articles
103 Articles
Taiwan has carried out important exercises along the west coast. The objective? Test a faster defense against a possible Chinese invasion
Taiwan fires dozens of U.S.-supplied rockets toward China in historic live-fire exercise
Taiwan fires 32 U.S.-supplied HIMARS rockets westward toward China in unprecedented live-fire drill. Drill tests shoot-and-scoot tactics simulating response to amphibious invasion. Move is a message of resolve to Beijing and proof of self-defense investment to Washington. China condemns drill as provocation violating One-China policy. HIMARS system is designed to raise cost of invasion high […]
US-Backed Taiwan Fires Rockets Toward China In Strait Drill As Tensions Surge Over Island Defence Escalation
Taiwan has carried out a high-profile live-fire military exercise using US-supplied HIMARS rocket systems, firing towards waters near China in a dramatic show of defensive readiness that highlights rising cross-strait tensions. The drills, conducted on Taiwan's western coastline facing China, mark the first time the island has launched rockets from the system into the Taiwan Strait itself, a narrow and heavily contested waterway separating the t…
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