Taiwan Begins Han Kuang 42 Exercise Testing US-Style Combat Methods With First M1A2T Abrams Deployment

Taiwan's live-fire Han Kuang 42 exercises run from Wednesday through Friday next week over a scriptless, ten-day nine-night span, testing US-style rehearsal methods including back briefs in which subordinate commanders explain planned execution to superiors before an operation begins 12. Newly delivered M1A2T Abrams tanks, assigned to the Army's 584th Armored Brigade to defend beaches, infrastructure, and command centers in northern Taiwan, will be incorporated into live-fire drills for the first time to verify in-depth defense and anti-landing operations, and the newly inaugurated Littoral Combat Command will also participate for the first time 12. Two brigade-level reserve units, the Taipei Reserve Brigade in the north and the 137th Brigade in the south, are expected to mobilize as many as 5,000 reservists under a newly extended 14-day mandatory refresher call-up, replacing the previous five-to-seven-day system, to test full-strength call-up and pre-combat preparation procedures 12. The Army's Taoyuan-based 53rd Engineer Group will conduct blockage drills at the newly opened Danjiang Bridge connecting New Taipei's Tamsui and Bali districts, simulating efforts to slow an enemy advance toward Taipei 12.