Taipei: Military engineers were mobilized to practice building and deploying counter-mobility obstacles to slow the movement of enemy forces in Taichung and Kaohsiung on Wednesday, as Taiwan's first-ever "immediate combat response" drills entered their third day.
According to Focus Taiwan, army engineer troops were seen deploying anti-tank hedgehogs, breakwater concrete blocks, concertina wire, and booby traps at shores and access roads in the two cities. These exercises were designed to practice creating obstacles to slow down the advancement of enemy forces in the event of a full-scale invasion.
Meanwhile, in the offshore frontline island of Kinmen, the Army's Kinmen Defense Command held exercises to simulate firing 240mm M1 howitzers to defend against invading forces. The drills, the first of their kind, are based on the assessment that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) could unexpectedly pivot military exercises or "gray zone" activities - provocative or aggressive actions that fall just short of open conflict - near Taiwan into a real attack, a military source told local media on March 12.
Also on Wednesday, the Ministry of National Defense released a series of photos showing troops closely monitoring PLA forces near Taiwan both in the sky and the open seas. The photos depicted Navy fast mine-laying boats operating in waters around Taiwan, as well as Kidd-class guided-missile destroyer Tso Ying and Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate Feng Jia monitoring PLA naval vessels, the Type 052C destroyer Changchun, and Quzhou Type 054A frigate, respectively.