Taipei - Taiwan's armed forces will stage a five-day combat readiness drill beginning Monday, the defence ministry said, as part of a broader modernisation effort to orient training toward more realistic simulations of war rather than fixed ceremonial events.
Tagged the "Immediate Combat Readiness Exercise," the component of the armed forces' annual planned joint operations training will run through Friday, according to the ministry. Officials said the exercise aims to accustom units at every echelon to combat practices and the conditions of the battlefield encountered during the readiness deployment phase.
"The main objective is to train units at all levels to become familiar with combat practices and the battlefield environment during the readiness deployment phase, and to strengthen rapid peacetime-to-wartime transition and priority deployment actions," the defence ministry said in its statement.
In describing how the exercise will be conducted, the ministry emphasised realism: "actual troops, on actual terrain, in real time, using actual equipment, and through actual implementation." The training will focus on sharpening command mechanisms across levels and boosting combat-oriented capabilities, with particular attention to joint operations command and control, logistical sustainment, and battlefield preparation.
The announcement came the same day the ministry reported another Chinese "combat readiness patrol" near Taiwan. According to the ministry, China dispatched 21 aircraft, composed of J-16 fighters, KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft, and Y-20 aerial refuelling aircraft. Of those, 19 aircraft entered airspace to Taiwan's southwest and proceeded into the Western Pacific to conduct what the ministry described as "long-distance training over open seas." Calls to China's defence ministry seeking comment were not answered outside of office hours on Sunday.
Taiwan has framed parts of its training around a scenario in which a routine Chinese exercise encircling the island is suddenly converted into an actual attack. The defence ministry's move to rehearse rapid deployment and joint operations follows that conceptual shift.
Taiwan frequently conducts military drills. Earlier this month, it fired its newly acquired U.S.-made HIMARS rocket system into the Taiwan Strait, a system also widely used by Ukraine. Taiwan's primary annual Han Kuang war games remain scheduled for August.
By stressing live terrain, real-time execution and authentic equipment, the defence ministry is signalling an emphasis on operational readiness that prioritises transition speed and logistical sustainment. The ministry presented the exercise as part of routine annual training while also situating it within a context of continuing Chinese aerial and maritime activity in the region.
Implications for sectors
- Defence - heightened focus on readiness and procurement choices linked to joint operations and sustainment.
- Shipping and regional trade - persistent military activity in proximate seas may create operational uncertainty for maritime traffic.
- Aerospace - aircraft deployments and training patterns influence regional airspace management and surveillance tasking.