Not 30-Minute Internet Slowdown, But 1-Hour Air Raid Drills! Writer Calls for Realistic Civil Defense Exercises: Taiwan Hasn't Seen War in 70 Years

Taiwan's Han Kuang 42 military exercise, running from August 5 to 14, spans 10 days and 9 nights. Notably, this year's 'Urban Resilience Exercise' includes, for the first time, a 'mobile network slowdown' drill. A 30-minute slowdown was implemented in central Taiwan on August 10, while northern regions will conduct the drill on the afternoon of August 13 from 2:30 PM to 3:00 PM. In response, writer Piaolang Daoyu posted on Facebook late on August 11 under the title 'The Politics of Fear in Drills: Civil Defense Training That Scares Without Scaring Too Much,' emphasizing that when facing a real enemy, drills should not merely 'increase aversion' but help people understand the true horrors of war. He concluded by saying, 'Don’t complain about a 30-minute slowdown,' arguing that what should truly be practiced is a week-long communication blackout and a month-long power outage—only realistic drills can truly strengthen public resilience.

When will central and northern regions experience network disruptions? What is the Urban Resilience Exercise?

The Urban Resilience Exercise integrates the former 'Wan An Exercise' (air defense) and 'Min An Exercise' (disaster relief). This year marks the first time a mobile communication network slowdown drill has been conducted, targeting regions with the highest nationwide mobile traffic. The 2024 Urban Resilience Air Defense Exercise is divided into five phases, with two phases involving a 30-minute mobile network slowdown:

- Central Region: August 10, 2:30 PM to 3:00 PM – Miaoli County, Taichung City, Nantou County, Changhua County, Yunlin County, Chiayi County and City - Northern Region: August 13, 2:30 PM to 3:00 PM – Yilan County, Keelung City, Taipei City, New Taipei City, Taoyuan City, Hsinchu County and City

Coastal Firepower Deployment Poses Risks? Is Urban Warfare Inevitable?

Piaolang Daoyu notes that military offensive and defensive drills enhance combat readiness, while civil defense training aids survival during conflict. Beyond combat effectiveness, such exercises also serve political propaganda purposes. Taiwan's beachfront anti-landing 'coastal denial' drills typically involve lining up artillery along the coast and firing toward the sea to demonstrate overwhelming firepower. However, according to 'an American English teacher,' this tactic reflects WWII-era thinking. In today’s era dominated by missiles and drones, concentrating forces on open beaches makes them highly visible and vulnerable—essentially turning into 'coastal meat targets.' Moreover, the so-called 'hellfire sea' may fail to stop subsequent waves of attacks by the People's Liberation Army (PLA). If China successfully lands troops, urban warfare becomes unavoidable, potentially resulting in massive casualties and societal collapse. Therefore, training civilians to adapt to wartime life is a necessary and practical form of civil defense.

Is Civil Defense Training Realistic Enough? Does It Reflect Actual Wartime Conditions?

Piaolang Daoyu argues that air raid alerts and communication blackouts help people grasp the brutality of war, fostering aversion toward China and its allies who provoke conflict. However, the problem lies in civil defense drills being superficial. In actual war, fuel shortages, power and water outages, transportation paralysis, and economic shutdowns could lead to communication blackouts lasting weeks—or even indefinite internet loss without satellite connectivity like Starlink. It won’t be just a one-hour air raid shelter drill or a 30-minute network slowdown. He believes that if civil defense training were more intense, people would experience less shock during real war. Yet, for a society like Taiwan, which hasn’t faced war in 70 years, such rigorous drills would be difficult to endure, potentially sparking public backlash. As a result, the government dares only to focus on experiential, demonstration-style training. He concludes that drills should scare people into awareness, but not too much—because excessive fear might shift public sentiment from aversion to outright dread, leading people to seek peace negotiations and avoid war at all costs.