The real deterrent to enemies is not symbolic weapons but sustainable operational capabilities and resilience

The Han Kuang 42 live-fire exercise will take place from August 5 to 14. General Mei Chia-shu, Chief of the General Staff, stated today (30th) at the 'National Military 115th Year Spiritual Combat Power Special Project Education' that, in the face of modern warfare and rapid technological development, the military must continue to promote the transformation of troops, implement realistic combat training, and strengthen war preparedness in accordance with the 'Multi-Domain Deterrence, Resilient Defense' concept to support combat power with belief and guard the country with combat power. Mei Chia-shu also emphasized, 'What can truly deter enemies is not symbolic weapons, but the capability and resilience of sustainable operations.'

According to a report by the Military News Agency, Mei Chia-shu encouraged the frontline officers and soldiers of the Hsinchu Air Force Base, affirming that the air force officers and soldiers, regardless of day or night and weather conditions, continue to carry out war preparedness, training, and various tasks to safeguard airspace security. He stated that the dedication of the officers and soldiers is the most solid reliance of the country and encouraged everyone to uphold the highest standards to complete the mission in the upcoming Han Kuang 42 exercise.

Mei Chia-shu pointed out that new technologies and artificial intelligence make the battlefield rhythm increasingly fast, and the progress of operations more blurred. In the face of gray-zone harassment by the Chinese Communist Party, as well as the transition from peacetime to wartime and the stage of continuous operations, the military must deploy in advance, predict the future, and strengthen the cross-domain integration of the army, navy, and air force to make intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, command and control, and troop operations more flexible, building the capability to be ready to fight at any time, respond quickly, and conduct continuous operations.

Regarding realistic combat training, Mei Chia-shu stated that the purpose of the exercises is to verify whether the operational plans are reasonable and feasible. The immediate readiness exercises and joint defense exercises previously implemented were to find out problems and bottlenecks and grasp the capabilities and limitations of the troops. Therefore, the Han Kuang exercises should not only complete the items procedurally but should also incorporate changing enemy situations, communication interruptions, and resource limitations to create pressure close to real battlefield conditions and verify the command and control system and decision-making process.

General Mei Chia-shu, Chief of the General Staff, visited the frontline officers and soldiers of the Hsinchu Air Force Base on the 30th at the 'National Military 115th Year Spiritual Combat Power Special Project Education.' (Source: Military News Agency)

Additionally, Mei Chia-shu requested that all levels of troops carry out practical reviews, courageously discover and face problems, and not let training become merely formalistic. He emphasized that improvement and review are the key points of each training and are also the process of accumulating combat power.

Regarding the operational preparation direction of 'Multi-Domain Deterrence, Resilient Defense,' Mei Chia-shu explained that the military will integrate operational domains such as land, sea, air, cyberspace, and the electromagnetic spectrum, strengthen electronic warfare, cybersecurity, and command and control communications, and use means such as unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned surface vehicles, mobile obstruction, and precision mining to combine in-depth defense with sustained operations, forming a multi-layered defense system.

'What can truly deter enemies is not symbolic weapons, but the capability and resilience of sustainable operations,' Mei Chia-shu said. The military continues to introduce artificial intelligence and modern command and control systems, strengthen ammunition stockpiles, logistics, and various communication methods, and integrate civilian communications, key infrastructure, and technological capabilities to form a defense architecture of military-civilian cooperation, peace-war integration, and mutual support.

Mei Chia-shu emphasized that identification with the country is the common belief of military personnel, and spiritual combat power is the most important capability at present. He hopes that military personnel will believe in themselves, believe in their Taiwanese compatriots and the overall strength of the country, and turn every war preparedness and training verification into the strength to protect their homes, demonstrating Taiwan's determination to protect their homes.