Taiwan's Outlying Islands Hold Live-Fire Drills
Live-fire drills on the outlying islands of Penghu and Kinmen are testing Taiwan's ability to hit targets at sea as part of the annual Han Kuang exercises.
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00:00Taiwanese ground forces are sharpening their skills on the outlying islands.
00:09On Penghu, they're practicing targeting enemy drones.
00:14And on Matsu, armored vehicles roll through the streets.
00:18Taiwan's military is holding live-fire drills as part of its largest military war games,
00:23the Hanguang exercise.
00:24These annual drills test Taiwan's ability to defend against a potential Chinese invasion.
00:32Part of the exercise planned for Taiwan's main island have been cancelled due to incoming
00:36Typhoon Kemi.
00:37But others farther away in the outlying islands are going ahead as planned.
00:41This drill here simulated defending against an attack on an airport in Jinmen, which sits
00:46less than 10 kilometers away from China.
00:54During this year's drills, the outlying islands will be the only place the military will use
01:07live ammunition.
01:09That's because these islands play an important role in stopping an attack from China.
01:13The outlying islands play a vital role for Taiwan's security as they are the first line
01:39of defense.
01:41Military researchers say holding onto the Penghu islands provides a strategic advantage
01:45as they allow the military to flank Chinese ships as they move towards Taiwan's main island.
01:50To maintain that, you know, not quite first strike, but responsive strike posture.
01:56And so testing these capabilities, testing the capabilities of Penghu, I think are really,
02:01really important.
02:02It'll still take, I think, about 12 hours to cross the Taiwan Strait, I believe on even
02:09the shortest point.
02:10So that's plenty of time for Taiwanese missiles to be hitting and bombarding any sort of forces
02:14that come over.
02:16Although only 20 percent of Taiwan's entire army is stationed on the outlying islands,
02:21the country hopes these drills can show what an enemy would have to deal with even before
02:26making it to the mainland, proving that while small, these islands could help Taiwan pack
02:30a big punch.
02:32Ryan Wu and Jaime O'Connor for Taiwan Plus.