00:00An uncommon sight on Taiwan's roadways.
00:05Battle tanks, mechanized infantry, part of three defensive exercises in October,
00:09just a few months after the military held its Han Guang drills.
00:12This year, the longest and largest ever.
00:15This week marked the Army's first Lusheng exercises,
00:18focused on commanding soldiers in the field effectively and fighting in cities.
00:22Watching over the drills was President Lai Qingde.
00:25Through the military, military, military, and military forces,
00:31the way that the military forces were able to prove the military forces in a serious situation.
00:38On the ground, in the air, and at sea,
00:41Taiwan's defensive personnel are training to counter a threat from across the strait.
00:46This year, the exercises are broader, more frequent,
00:49and reflect concerns about China's increasing military pressure on Taiwan,
00:52its daily incursions into the air and waters around the country,
00:55and its own large-scale military exercises nearby.
00:58In addition to the Lusheng exercises,
01:00the Air Force held another round of Tianlong Aerial Combat Training drills for its pilots.
01:05And two weeks ago, the Navy wrapped up its annual Haichang exercises,
01:09practicing for a critical moment in the event of a potential conflict.
01:12When does a commonplace incident, like an ADIZ incursion, become something more serious?
01:17It's a scenario analysts both in Taiwan and abroad are thinking about.
01:20If you have to get used to this high level of activity,
01:23right, you can't live your life in fear, you know, every single day, right?
01:26So you start, like, you start kind of phasing these things out of your mind,
01:30not thinking about them.
01:31And one of the features of, or what plays to Beijing's strength,
01:35is if they can delay the response of Japan, of the United States,
01:39to give themselves more time to act, right?
01:42So that's what's really dangerous about those things,
01:44is that it's lulling us into a complacency about what's normal.
01:48Annual large-scale exercises by China's Navy and Air Force present a similar risk.
01:53It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for us to avoid being caught by surprise or unprepared,
02:04because this is in the human nature.
02:07So in a large-scale joint exercise, everything would look like how they would conduct a real invasion or real combat operation.
02:19And then we would be dull, we would be desensitized that, okay, they do that all the time.
02:29Drills that emphasize combat readiness, tactical flexibility, and defensive capabilities are the armed forces answer to these questions.
02:36Asymmetric warfare, how a smaller country can use its natural advantages against a much larger force,
02:41has become one of the central tenets of military planning under President Lai.
02:45These latest drills, along with new weapons and an increased military budget, all point to a country that is committed to defending itself.
03:03But the question now is whether that's enough to keep China at bay.
03:07Scott Huang and Larry Siano for Taiwan Plus.
03:09Scott Huang and Larry Siano for Taiwan Feeney
03:11TNR
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