Taiwan Troops Train in Urban Areas Amid Rising Tensions

Taiwanese troops conduct urban drills to prepare for potential conflicts with China, aiming for realistic training in civilian areas.

TAIPEI — Phone in hand, a middle-aged woman gestured to a Taipei intersection, where an infantry platoon unloaded sandbags onto pedestrian crossings.

She gestured behind her at the military policeman blocking her path, who held a T112 assault rifle, and said, “My Uber is waiting for me just there.” The soldier apologized, telling her to find another way around.

Clouded Leopard infantry fighting vehicles soon emerged between shophouses, opening fire with blanks into a killbox formed by the Taiwanese troops using barricades. Military police deployed smoke grenades as soldiers leapfrogged through the streets under covering fire to regroup with the main force.

This drill, simulating a defense against Chinese forces, was held after midnight to minimize disruption in the capital’s Wanhua cultural district. However, much of Taiwan’s Han Kuang exercise is deliberately conducted in the middle of cities and neighborhoods, emphasizing the need for troops to train on the streets they must defend—all while allowing everyday life to continue.

The exercise promotes a sense of realism. Odd scenes emerged as infantry and armored brigades engaged in mock skirmishes near people walking dogs, dining out, or simply carrying on with their lives.

Troops in urban areas used blanks instead of live rounds, maintaining live-fire exercises only on Taiwan’s outlying islands.

In a residential area south of Songshan Airport, diners peeked out from a barbecue restaurant to watch as troops fired blanks from alleys and rooftops. Halfway through the event, a police cruiser arrived, seemingly investigating a noise complaint.

Meanwhile, in Kaohsiung, a delivery worker on a scooter sped past a guard to drop off mail at an auto shop, as reservists lined the main road with makeshift barriers of busted cars and barbed wire.

A nearby softball team practiced in the late morning heat, seemingly oblivious to the military activity happening just yards away.

Historically, Han Kuang exercises have highlighted simulated battles to demonstrate Taiwan’s resolve against potential invasions. However, Taipei announced last year that it intends to reform these drills to prioritize unscripted exercises, which may better serve as stress tests for both the military and the public.

“This year’s Han Kuang exercise gradually shifted away from ‘staged performances’ designed for senior officials and the public, moving toward genuine operational verification,” said Lin Ping-yu, a former Taiwanese special forces paratrooper and current city councilor for New Taipei City.

The result has been dozens of logistical and combat drills across the island of 23 million. On the fourth day, as Typhoon Dolphin approached, rain poured into Taipei, while military police stationed themselves in treelines near the Nangang Exhibition Center—Taiwan’s largest trade-show facility.

The scenario presupposed heavy casualties among their command in central Taipei, with survivors retreating across the city via subway to the newly established makeshift headquarters in Nangang.

Such civilian infrastructure was prominently included in the drills, with reservists assembling in schools and privately owned factories turned into backup arms-production sites.

Tristan Tang, a Taipei-based fellow at the US think tank National Bureau of Asian Research, observed, “If you look at the exercises as a whole, Taiwan is actually training for almost every major contingency it could face.”

Incorporating civilians into the military’s operational strategies can present challenges. On August 9, for instance, a civilian truck transporting 155mm howitzer shells accidentally spilled its load on a highway in Miaoli, though the military confirmed the shells were inert and blamed loose fastening straps.

This year’s Han Kuang also incorporated citywide drills intended to prepare the public for potential conflict. For the first time, city governments intentionally throttled mobile internet for 30-minute intervals during the exercise, encouraging residents to consider how disruptions would affect communication during an attack.

During one drill on a Thursday afternoon, air-raid alerts buzzed on mobile phones across Taipei, instructing residents to seek immediate shelter. The resulting exodus turned the city into a ghost town for 30 minutes as buses, cars, and motorbikes were abandoned.

Lin highlighted the significance of integrating civil and military exercises, stating that combining these efforts was one of the most substantial changes for Taiwan this year. “This shift helps the public grow more accustomed to the presence of military units in their daily lives,” he noted.

The New Taipei City Councilor, an advocate for improved arms innovation and a more robust Taiwanese defense, expressed concern that the years of eased relations with China had caused Taiwan’s military to “forget how to operate as a truly effective fighting force.”

As cross-strait tensions escalate, particularly with the rise of the Democratic Progressive Party under the current president who dismisses Beijing’s territorial claims, China’s aggression toward Taiwan has also intensified, with its leader Xi Jinping not ruling out forcefully taking the island.

Lin remarked on the military’s transition phase, saying, “We are now at a pivotal moment to reclaim these core military capabilities, and conducting more rigorous exercises will help the military rebuild its operational edge.”