Taiwan to hold air raid drill alongside mega war games as test of ‘overall alertness’ against Chinese PLA attack
- Annual military and air raid drills timed to coincide in September as a test of preparedness of ‘both the government and the public’ against military threats
- Island-wide exercises come amid rising cross-strait tensions, with Beijing aiming missiles at Taiwan and sending warplanes into its air defence zone
The annual air raid drill, dubbed the “Wan An exercise”, will be carried out on September 15 across Taiwan, including its frontline islands of Kinmen (Quemoy) and Matsu, which lie at the doorstep of the southeastern Chinese province of Fujian.
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“In view of the military threats from our enemy … we will hold the Wan An exercise at the time when we stage the live-fire Han Kuang war games to strengthen the overall alertness, preparedness and capability of both the government and the public in dealing with such threats,” defence ministry spokesman Shih Shun-wen said on Tuesday.
The Wan An drills will test island-wide emergency responses to air attacks, including missile and warplane assaults by the mainland military force, Han Kang-ming, director of the ministry’s General Mobilisation Office, said.
“The drill will feature passage of intelligence about the raid, tests of various air alarm systems, including the Airspace Threat Alert System, and other warning devices that can help increase the early warning time [for relevant authorities and the public],” Han said.
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The Airspace Threat Alert System, introduced by the ministry in 2019, is designed to provide advance warning of an impending missile attack. During the exercise, the system will send test messages to all mobile phone owners on the island.