The military is to inspect training regimens and missile storage after BGM-71 TOW 2A missiles failed at target acquisition multiple times during an exercise on Monday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday.
During the Tien Ma (天馬, Sky Horse) exercise, 17 TOW 2A missiles were fired, but only seven hit their intended targets, prompting questions about the viability of the aging ordnance.
Major General Liu Sheen-mo (劉慎謨) said that the exercise focused on the firing procedure so that troops would be familiar with it, adding that accuracy with the system would be addressed later.
Photo: CNA
The live-fire exercise demonstrated the usefulness of training and also facilitated an inspection of weapon functions, Liu said.
Munition failure accounted for some of the missed targets, he added.
Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Chen Chien-yi (陳建義) said the review was not to penalize soldiers for missing targets, but to address how training, munitions and weather would affect the firing of weapon systems.
More than half of the military personnel at the exercise had not handled the weapon system before and the ministry hopes that “experienced” officers and other personnel could pass on what they learned to others, Chen said.
While the munitions were inspected before the exercise, some missiles dropped early or did not hit their target, he said.
Videos would be reviewed to help determine why there were so many misses, he added.
Separately, the ministry denied reports that there was not enough equipment for the first batch of trainees since Taiwan reinstated a one-year mandatory military training policy.
While “boot camps” would be held at military bases, their brigades are not at “full strength,” which would only be attainable when the military is mobilized, Chen said.
However, there is sufficient military equipment, such as mortars, for training, he said.
The army has four bases to accommodate the four “boot camp” brigades and all of the equipment has been provided, he said.
Rumors of an “equipment shortage” were due to some officers being too optimistic and overeager, but the ministry has communicated the scope and scale of the training to all commands, he added.
Reinstating the one-year policy and moving boot camps to army bases would affect the all-volunteer force, which is to have one exercise this year, Liu said.
The ministry would continue to revise its training schedules to ensure that the skills of its personnel do not degrade while fundamental human rights are observed, he said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS