With the looming threat of a possible Chinese invasion, Taiwan’s significant and highly anticipated annual military exercises, Han Kuang 2024, have come to an unprecedented standstill due to the impact of Typhoon Gaemi.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced on July 25 that the Han Kuang military exercises for this year had been canceled because troops were called to help with relief efforts following Typhoon Gaemi.
The 40th edition of the Han Kuang drills began on July 22 and was supposed to conclude on July 26. However, due to the typhoon, the MND announced that tabletop games would be held in place of war games that were originally slated to occur between July 25 and July 26.
The MND announced that the troops formerly tasked with participating in the drills would now support local governments in disaster relief efforts to guarantee the safety of people and their property. Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration said that Gaemi was still encircling much of Taiwan and its outlying islands.
The Han Kuang drills are Taiwan’s largest military exercises, and each year, they emphasize a new area of military operations. This year’s games were intended to replicate actual warfare as closely as possible. The emphasis was on including unscripted combat situations to evaluate soldiers’ reactions to revised Rules of Engagement (ROE), nighttime operations, and decentralized command.
