Taiwan launches 10-day Han Kuang drills, throttles internet
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- Taiwan began its 10-day annual Han Kuang exercise on August 5, triggered by an underground command centre in Taipei and including fighter jet dispersals and emergency naval deployments.
- Drills will for the first time incorporate the deliberate slowing of mobile internet speeds to test civilian communication under bandwidth scarcity, officials said.
- Taiwan's military is also adopting a U.S.-style "backbrief" approach, in which junior officers restate mission details to commanders to improve coordination during fast-moving scenarios.
- The exercise will simulate the wartime relocation of a major arsenal, mobilize civilian factories, and run escort drills off Taiwan's Pacific coast amid fears China may try to sever supply lines from allies.
- More than 20,000 troops, including roughly 5,000 reservists, will be mobilized, with officials describing the drills as a shift from "laboratory-like" scenarios to a "real field environment."
- Taiwan will introduce an "embedded reporter" mechanism to assess wartime frontline news releases and efforts to counter enemy disinformation during the drills.
- China's defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment; China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.
Why it matters: Han Kuang has been held since 1984, but this iteration marks a clear pivot toward realism—testing wartime internet throttling, arsenal relocation, and Pacific supply-line escorts—reflecting Taiwan's growing concern that Beijing is rehearsing strikes designed to paralyze command centres and ports early in an attack.
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