Taipei, July 24 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) will board a naval vessel to observe an upcoming joint naval exercise on Tuesday that is part of the annual five-day live-fire phase of the Han Kuang military exercises, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said on Sunday.
Tsai will be on board a warship to observe the drill that is expected to feature more than 20 military vessels and several Air Force fighters in the sea off eastern Yilan County's Suao naval base, to test the Taiwan armed forces' joint defense capabilities against a Chinese invasion from the sea, the MND said.
This will mark the first time President Tsai will board a warship to inspect the annual Han Kuang exercises since taking office in May 2016. It is also the second time Tsai will board a warship to inspect a military drill.
The last time she did so was in 2018 when she boarded a Kidd-class destroyer named Keelung at the Suao naval base before sailing to watch an offshore combat readiness exercise.
Tuesday's drill will be part of the live-fire component of this year's annual Han Kuang military exercises, Taiwan's largest war games involving all military branches that tests the country's combat readiness in the event of a Chinese invasion, that will kick off Monday morning and will run until late Friday.
According to the MND, the 38th edition of the annual event will officially begin after the Defense Ministry's Joint Operations Command Center, better known as Hengshan Command Center, announces the initiation of the five-day live-fire drills early Monday.
Monday's drills will be focused on testing the military's preservation and maintenance of combat capabilities in the event of a full-scale Chinese invasion.
As part of the drills, Air Force fighter jets that were originally deployed in the western part of the island will be dispatched to Hualien Air Base in the east in a simulation of a Chinese invasion, according to the MND.
Military C-130 transport aircraft will also be used to take military personnel responsible for fighter jet maintenance, together with related equipment and supplies, to designated locations in eastern Taiwan early in the day, it added.
Another highlight of this year's Han Kuang exercises will be the fact that it will mark the first time that reservists who have undergone a longer and more intense training will participate in the annual drill, according to the MND.
The new reservist training program was launched in March in a bid to improve Taiwan's combat readiness of reserve forces.
Under the new program, reservists undergo two weeks of training rather than the previous five to seven days. During the two-week period, reservists will not have any days off and will spend more time on required combat training, such as shooting pistols, rifles, and machine guns, based on their specialties, to maintain basic combat skills, according to the MND.
The new reservist training program was devised after the military said in 2020 that it wanted to ensure that Taiwan's reserve force can more reliably back up regular forces in protecting the country amid increased Chinese military maneuvers around Taiwan.
As with previous editions, this year's Han Kuang is again being held in two phases -- wargames and live-fire drills.
The wargames phase was conducted around the clock from May 16 to 20.
(By Matt Yu and Joseph Yeh)