Taiwan has kicked off a series of five days of military exercises, designed to test the island’s military readiness in the event of a Chinese military attack.

The military presence was noticeable in the city of Taoyuan, home to the island’s biggest international airport, during the drills. Photos and videos taken early in the morning showed tanks and armored vehicles from the Army’s 269th Infantry Brigade patrolling the streets and highways of public lands in combat readiness.

Immediate Combat Readiness and Grey-Zone Tactics

The operations are known as the Immediate Combat Readiness Exercises and are specifically targeted at testing military units’ ability to deploy quickly. The pace is deemed essential to beat back any sudden incursion in grey-zone warfare, which refers to aggressive activity like drone flights and navy patrols that do not qualify as armed conflict.

The Ministry of National Defense said the drills emphasise realism, with a strong emphasis on realism in real time, live fire and on site training. The exercises are designed to mimic situations that would arise just prior to enemy naval activities launching their ships. In the future, the military could also conduct simulated exercises to prepare for a response to the current external threat.

This is happening amid a daily military incursion. Defense officers reported that just between Sunday and Monday morning, they saw 23 aircraft, seven navy ships and five other government vessels coming in from China.

While China is pressing its claim to Taiwan as part of its own territory, without ruling out the use of force, Taiwan is keen to strengthen its defense. This growing pressure is being keenly watched by the Mainland Affairs Council and recently Taiwan has even fired rockets in China’s direction for the first time in a separate military exercise earlier this June.