Indo-Pacific — 2026-07-15

Taiwan Mobilizes HIMARS and Anti-Ship Missiles for Five-Day Joint Defense Drill Ahead of Han Kuang Exercise

BLUFTaipei's pairing of HIMARS with anti-ship batteries under decentralized command rehearses the joint kill-chain integration that will define whether Han Kuang validates a credible denial posture next month.

Taiwan's military began a five-day, four-night joint defense drill Monday running through Friday, deploying M142 HIMARS and domestically-produced Hsiung Feng anti-ship missile launchers in scenarios simulating detection of enemy vessels entering territorial waters, according to a Military News Agency release cited by USNI News 1. The exercise integrates Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps units under decentralized command-and-control structures, with Marine Corps convoys moving from southern Taiwan to establish temporary command posts in Taipei's Nangang District and New Taipei's Xizhi District 23. Separate deployments included the Army's 333rd Combined Arms Brigade in Kaohsiung and 2nd Combined Arms Battalion units with 105mm towed artillery, M60A3 tanks and CM22 mortar carriers in Hualien, according to Taiwan News citing LTN and Military News Agency reporting 3. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said the drill's results will inform next month's Han Kuang Exercise and stated it did not interfere with ongoing Typhoon Bavi disaster-recovery operations 13.

Analysis
Taiwan's pairing of HIMARS and Hsiung Feng batteries in one joint scenario tests cross-service long-range strike integration rather than validating branches in isolation, with Marine convoys establishing command posts inside Taipei and New Taipei treating capital defense as a distributed reinforcement problem rather than a coastal perimeter one. Six converging Taiwan-based outlets and a corroborating US trade publication give broad structural sourcing weight rather than single-source dependency. The drill functions as a live rehearsal for the decentralized command structures Han Kuang will formalize next month, so friction surfacing this week shapes that exercise directly. The ministry's disclaimer that the drill did not interfere with Typhoon Bavi recovery reflects sensitivity to appearing to prioritize military signaling over disaster response, and the timing and messaging may serve as much to reassure domestic and allied audiences of readiness after the typhoon's disruption as to rehearse genuine wartime procedures.

7 sources

Taiwan Mobilizes HIMARS, Anti-ship Missiles For Major Defense Drill - USNI News
Taiwan launches joint defense drill featuring Marine Corps deployment - Focus Taiwan (CNA)
Taiwan military launches 5-day joint defense exercise - Taiwan News
Military Runs Pre-Han Kuang Joint Drills - TaiwanPlus
聯合防禦操演13日實施聚焦敵發航後、去中心指管 (Joint Defense Drill to Begin July 13, Focused on Post-Enemy-Launch Detection and Decentralized Command) - Central News Agency (CNA)
國防部：明天起至17日舉行5天4夜三軍「聯合防禦操演」 (MND: Five-Day, Four-Night Tri-Service 'Joint Defense Drill' to Run Tomorrow Through the 17th) - United Daily News (UDN)
海馬士快速機動精準打擊！國軍聯合防禦操演模擬跨區火力馳援 (HIMARS Rapid Mobile Precision Strike: Armed Forces' Joint Defense Drill Simulates Cross-Region Fire Support) - CTI News (中天新聞)