Live-Fire Training: HIMARS to Conduct First Tactical Area Live-Fire Exercise Next Week

(Central News Agency, Taipei, June 4) To strengthen combat power, the ROC military continues to deepen realistic training. According to sources, the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system deployed by the Army's 58th Artillery Command will conduct its first live-fire exercise in a tactical area, specifically at Jianan Beach in Taichung, next week. It will coordinate with Thunder 2000 multiple launch rocket systems, TOW missiles, and Switchblade drones to comprehensively validate multi-layered anti-landing firepower and operational area management in the central defense zone.

The Chinese military has been continuously engaging in verbal and military intimidation against Taiwan, encroaching on Taiwan's surrounding sea and air space with aircraft and vessels, frequently crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait, and conducting military exercises in the region, severely impacting regional peace and stability. The ROC military continues to develop indigenous weapons and acquire foreign equipment while also strengthening training intensity and reforming systems to prepare for potential threats.

According to sources, the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system of the 58th Artillery Command, 10th Army Corps, will conduct its first live-fire exercise in a tactical area, the Jianan Beach area in Taichung, next week. It will operate in coordination with Thunder 2000 multiple launch rocket systems, M109A2 and M110A2 self-propelled howitzers, TOW 2B and TOW 2A anti-tank missiles, and Switchblade drones to comprehensively validate multi-layered anti-landing firepower.

Military officials pointed out that new weapons were previously tested at locations like the Jiupeng Base in Pingtung. Moving the exercise to the tactical position of Jianan Beach along the Dajia River in Taichung focuses on strengthening "on-site tactics" and getting closer to real combat scenarios. In addition to the 10th Army Corps, the 8th Army Corps and the Eastern Region will also conduct heavy artillery firing (the 6th Army Corps will execute it at the end of the month). The purpose is to familiarize units with their respective operational areas. By conducting live drills on key beaches and frontline positions within their defense zones, soldiers can gain a practical understanding of terrain, climate, and wind direction, deeply integrating tactical assumptions with defense areas.

According to the plan, next week's live-fire exercise at Jianan will integrate long, medium, and short-range firepower networks. In addition to HIMARS, the indigenous Thunder 2000 multiple launch rocket system will also conduct area saturation fire. Conventional artillery will be handled by M109A2 and M110A2 self-propelled howitzers to attack invading enemy forces. For near-shore targets, TOW 2B (with top-attack capability) and TOW 2A anti-tank missiles are also included, using multiple types of anti-armor weapons in coordinated drills to validate joint operations in the 5th Operational Zone.

Su Tzu-yun, Director of the Institute for Strategic and Resources Studies at the National Defense Security Research Institute, a think tank under the Ministry of National Defense, analyzed that the Jianan Beach area in Taichung has a wide hinterland suitable for enemy battalion-level or larger landings, forming a defense triangle with Taichung Port and Taichung Ching Chuan Kang Airport. Conducting tactical area firing here not only strengthens the defense of key terrain and prevents the enemy from seizing vital ports for "administrative unloading" (occupying existing port facilities instead of conducting an amphibious assault) but also echoes the northern "Bali Beach, Taipei Port, Tamsui River Mouth" and southern "Xishu Beach, Tainan Port, Tainan Airport" areas, all of which are "Red Beach" strategic locations that the ROC military must defend. (Editor: Lin Xingmeng) 1150604