Pingtung county: President Lai Ching-te on Friday inspected joint precision-missile live-fire drills at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County, where multiple types of attack drones took part in joint combat exercises for the first time. The three-day drills, which concluded Friday, featured Taiwan's indigenous Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile systems, Tien Kung III surface-to-air missile systems, and U.S.-purchased M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).
According to Focus Taiwan, the drills marked the first time multiple types of attack drones had been incorporated into joint combat exercises. President Lai noted that the coordinated use of unmanned vehicles and conventional weapons showed that the military is accelerating efforts to strengthen its overall combat capabilities. He emphasized that this integration demonstrated the armed forces' confidence in their ability to defend national sovereignty and fulfill their responsibility to maintain regional peace and stability.
During the drills, participating units carried out joint air defense, counterstrike operations, sea-air coordination, coastal strikes, and nearshore defense. President Lai praised the military personnel for their performance. He was accompanied by several high-ranking officials, including Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an, National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu, Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling, Defense Minister Wellington Koo, and National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology President Li Shih-chiang. Also in attendance were Army Commander Gen. Lu Kun-hsiu, Navy Commander Adm. Chiang Cheng-kuo, and Air Force Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Wang Te-yang.