2025 Han Kuang Exercises: Reservists, HIMARS Units Prepare for Military Drills

Twenty-two thousand reservists and a newly-acquired HIMARS unit are gearing up for Taiwan’s largest military drills, the Han Kuang exercises.

Transcript

00:00Reporting for duty, these are just some of the record 22,000 reservists taking part in Taiwan's annual Hanguang exercise.

00:08They're training to repel a possible Chinese invasion,

00:11and Taiwan's defense ministry is testing how quickly they can switch from civilian to military life.

00:16China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, and has not ruled out the use of force to bring the country under control.

00:33In recent years, Chinese military activity around Taiwan has intensified, increasing the need for more dynamic training.

00:40That's why parts of this year's exercises will be unscripted,

00:44designed to make combat simulations more realistic.

00:48They'll also feature some of Taiwan's newest military tech, including the U.S.-made HIMARS rocket system.

00:57Experts say pairing HIMARS with locally-made rocket artillery like the Thunderbolt 2000

01:02could help it counter China's much larger military.

01:14This year's Hanguang exercises are set to be the largest ever,

01:27and many of its reserve and active-duty units will be put to the test when they begin on July 9.

01:32Kama Shui and Tiffany Wong for Taiwan Plus.