An anti-landing drill is held on one of the beaches in Taichung in the annual Han Kuang military exercises in July 2020. CNA file photo

Taipei, June 2 (CNA) Three of Taiwan’s field army commands will each hold anti-landing drills on a beach in their jurisdiction this month, including a public beach, according to the Fisheries Agency.

The agency, which is part of the Ministry of Agriculture, published the gunfire notifications as it does whenever drills involving live ammunition are to be conducted on Taiwan’s beaches.

In three notifications published on May 23 and 27, the agency announced that three field army commands would conduct live-fire drills on beaches in New Taipei, Taichung and Tainan, alerting residents and visitors to be aware of a military presence.

The notifications indicated that the first drill would be held on June 5 by the Army’s Tainan-based 8th Field Army Command on a public beach in the southern city’s Xishu Coastal Recreation Area in the South District.

On June 18, the Army’s 6th Field Army Command, whose jurisdiction covers the northern part of the nation, will be training on Zhongfu Beach in New Taipei’s Linkou District.

Taichung’s 10th Field Army Command, meanwhile, will conduct a live-fire drill on June 26 on the city’s Caocuo Beach.

In previous interviews with CNA, the Ministry of National Defense said the increased frequency of Taiwan’s military drills is in response to China’s growing intimidation.

Taiwan’s military has aimed to strengthen its defense protocols through weapons practices, wargames, and live-fire drills conducted on the nation’s “red beaches.”

Currently, the military categorizes several beaches in Taiwan into three color codes: red, yellow and blue.

Red beaches could see large-scale landing operations and are the most vulnerable to People’s Liberation Army invasion.

Yellow zones indicate beaches that could be subjected to unconventional landing operations, while blue beaches are locations that would be difficult to invade.

Practical experience

The military explained that anti-landing drills involving shooting practice on beaches are aimed to familiarize soldiers with a potential battlefield environment.

Firing rounds on beaches differ from target practice in controlled environments, the military said, as environmental factors such as wind and sand can affect visibility and the functionality of weapons, therefore providing more realistic conditions for soldiers.

The military has recently cranked up the number of anti-landing drills on red beaches nationwide, such as Tainan’s Xishu Coastal Recreation Area.

However, because they are accessible to the public, the Army had only conducted basic drills such as physical training and hardware construction on Taiwan’s public beaches before the first live-fire exercise in Taoyuan’s Guanyin Coastal Recreation Area was held at the end of last year.

The three red beaches selected for the anti-landing drills in June were also evaluated by American analyst Ian M. Easton in his book “The Chinese Invasion Threat: Taiwan’s Defense and American Strategy in Asia” for their tactical relevance.

According to Easton, Xishu could be a target due to its closeness to important locations like Tainan Airport and Tainan Air Base and infrastructure like the Coastal Highway.

Easton also mentioned Zhongfu Beach for its proximity to Taoyuan Airport and Linkou Power Plant.

Caocuo Beach, on the other hand, is also important because it neighbors Taichung International Airport, which also serves as an air base.