KAOHSIUNG (TVBS News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) invited local media to the Navy's Zuoying Base on Wednesday (Jan. 31) as the military conducted drills ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays.
This inspection included demonstrations of various military hardware such as Ta Chiang Warship, Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat, M109 Assault Boat, as well as the Hsiung Feng II and Hsiung Feng III mobile launcher vehicles.
Lt. Col. Chen Quen-yuan of the Marine Corps' Amphibious Reconnaissance Group Commander, who led all the drill activities, unveiled the long-distance surveillance capabilities of their drones, and the training accomplishments of the servicemen.
The navy also reaffirmed the military's ability and determination to protect the country's maritime borders. The drills, set in the waters of Zuoying Harbor, were mainly aimed at preemptive threat detection and securing territorial waters.
Chen emphasized that the drills demonstrated the navy's integration of key minority combat concepts and the solid combat power of the Marine Corps.
The M109 Assault Boat, belonging to the Marine Corps, performed its duty as a vanguard, assisting the main battleship forces in getting a clear picture of enemy situations to facilitate subsequent operations.
Commander Chu Chun-yin, executive officer of the 2nd Hai Feng Group, Navy, pointed out the evolution of shore-based missile units since 1987. In recent years, these units transformed from fixed positions to mobile missile vehicle groups and equipped with Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missiles.
Chu added that the navy would establish a common combat image of the target through data links and communication channels, subsequently issuing unified commands for an organized attack.