Taiwan ‘throttles’ mobile internet for first time during annual war games
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Taiwanese soldiers practise active-duty force expansion and military vehicle flatbed loading during the annual Han Kuang military exercise.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Taiwan slowed mobile internet in central areas during annual war games to simulate communication disruptions in a Chinese attack or disaster, affecting only basic mobile services.
- The Han Kuang exercise includes air raid drills and military simulations, such as repelling a Chinese landing assault on the strategic Penghu Islands.
- Penghu's troops and reservists trained in multi-layered defence, preparing for potential Chinese attacks as Taiwan strengthens integration of reserve forces.
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TAICHUNG/PENGHU, Taiwan – Taiwan slowed the mobile internet in a large swathe of the central part of the island on Aug 10 for the first time during annual war games, simulating communication disruption in the event of a Chinese attack or natural disaster.
Democratically governed Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has long lived with the threat of a Chinese invasion and holds air raid drills along with its war games every year, clearing people from the streets for 30 minutes.
During the internet “throttling” drill, centred on Aug 10 on the major central metropolis of Taichung, only basic mobile phone services worked, though key services, from ATMs to traffic signals, were not affected, and neither were landlines nor fixed internet services.
Air raid sirens rang out in Taichung and people cleared the streets from 2.30pm as the government sent simultaneous text messages in Chinese and English telling mobile phone users of “simulated air attacks on communication infrastructure”.
The government has widely flagged the drill ahead of time, including posting details on social media, and most people Reuters spoke to at the Taichung train station were prepared.
“Like with the Russia-Ukraine war, they had no internet. Also maybe because Taiwan is a bit more at risk, so this kind of drill might let everyone understand the current situation at that moment – what might happen and how to respond,” said Lin Hong-chun, 46.
Still, there were some grumbles, even if people were generally supportive.
“If possible, I’d still rather stay home and experience it there. Experiencing it outside is really too painful,” said Yen Po-ting, 23, from inside the station where the gates were closed to keep passengers from going outside.
The same exercise will be repeated on Aug 13 on northern Taiwan, including the capital Taipei.
Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their future.
Earlier on Aug 10, Taiwan’s military simulated repelling a Chinese air landing assault on the strategically vital Penghu Islands.
The 10-day Han Kuang exercise kicked off last week, rehearsing various scenarios should China ever make good on threats to try and seize the island by force.
Reuters was given rare access to the exercise, observing ground troops loading tank ammunition and taking up firing positions in darkness before the drill began.
Troops from the First Theatre Command opened fire in the pre-dawn hours on a beach in Penghu, which sits in the Taiwan Strait, with M60A3 tanks, various artillery pieces and anti-aircraft guns.
The troops were combining to form what the military called a “multi-layered” defence against a simulated enemy attempting a rapid coastal landing.
Penghu, which sits closer to the coast of the main island of Taiwan than to China, is seen by Taiwanese strategists as a potential first target for Beijing, which could try and take the islands and use them as a base to attack Taiwan with missiles and drones.
Reservists from Penghu took part in the exercise, part of their 14-day training programme as Taiwan’s military works to better integrate reserve forces into its operational planning and make its preparations more realistic. REUTERS
