Over 5,000 Personnel Mobilized! Han Kuang 42 North-South Reserve Brigades Conduct Full-Brigade Mobilization: Validating Unit Organization and Combat Readiness Restoration

The live-phase of Han Kuang 42 exercise will take place from August 5 to 14. The Ministry of National Defense announced today (28) that this year’s Han Kuang exercise, combined with the同心36 mobilization drill, will conduct full-brigade mobilization of two brigade-level units: the Taipei Reserve Brigade and the 137th Infantry Brigade stationed in Tainan, mobilizing over 5,000 reserve personnel. The exercise aims to verify capabilities in mobilization summoning, unit organization, pre-combat training, and combat readiness restoration within prescribed timeframes.

Lieutenant General Lu Wen-yuan, Director of the Joint Operations Division at the MND’s Planning Bureau, explained that the exercise is divided into four phases, with the first being 'preparation deployment.' In this scenario, the Chinese military conducts large-scale amphibious landing training under the guise of annual joint military exercises, concealing its intent to invade Taiwan while completing final attack preparations. In response, Taiwan’s three armed services immediately elevate their combat readiness posture, conducting immediate preparedness drills, mobilization preparations, obstacle emplacement, material dispersal, cross-regional mobility, and defensive mine-laying preparations—transitioning from peacetime to wartime operations.

This year’s Han Kuang exercise will integrate with the同心36 mobilization drill, conducting full mobilization of two brigade-level units. Lu emphasized that to ensure mobilized forces can fulfill territorial defense and support combat missions, the drill will assess the ability to complete mobilization, unit formation, pre-combat training, and combat readiness restoration within set time limits.

In last year’s Han Kuang 41 exercise, the Army’s 206th Infantry Brigade underwent full expansion mobilization for the first time, involving approximately 3,000 personnel. This year, full mobilization is being conducted simultaneously in northern and southern Taiwan, involving more personnel, indicating an increasing emphasis on reserve mobilization responsibilities.