Lai Joins Taiwans Emergency Bunker Drill for First Time as President

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te traveled in an armored vehicle to an underground command center on Aug. 5, marking his first participation as president in a decades-old contingency exercise for protecting the nation’s leadership during an attack.Lai rode in a domestically produced Clouded Leopard armored vehicle to the Hengshan Command Center, a protected military complex in northern Taipei. Inside, he received a classified briefing and chaired a meeting with senior national security officials, according to the Presidential Office.The exercise, known as Wan Jun, tested military command, coordination among government agencies, emergency response mechanisms, and the government’s ability to continue operating during a crisis.A day later, Lai inspected defensive preparations involving a coast guard vessel designed to carry anti-ship missile launchers during a conflict, naval-mine loading, and measures to prevent an attacking force from using Taipei Port. Taiwan also activated a reserve mobilization order and deployed troops to several outlying islands.The activities formed part of Han Kuang, Taiwan’s principal annual 10-day military exercise through Aug. 13, which tests the island’s response to a possible attack by China.The Chinese Communist Party claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to take control of the self-governed island. Beijing has increased military pressure around Taiwan in recent years through aircraft and warship deployments and large-scale exercises.Taiwan’s National Archives holds records showing that Wan Jun dates to at least 1965. The archive describes it as a security plan for escorting the president to a protected command post during a major emergency, terrorist attack, or enemy attack on Taiwan.Coast Guard Joins Taipei Port Defense DrillOn Aug. 6, Lai inspected defensive preparations at Taipei Port, a commercial harbor in New Taipei City west of the capital.Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te chairs a meeting at the underground Hengshan Command Center in Taipei on Aug. 5, 2026. Courtesy of the Office of the ROC PresidentThe drill brought together the military, coast guard, port authorities, and civilian organizations to defend the harbor and respond to an emergency, according to the Presidential Office.Lai boarded an Anping-class coast guard vessel with space reserved for Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile launchers. He also inspected preparations for loading naval mines and obstacles intended to prevent an attacking force from entering or using the port.The Presidential Office said the vessel can be fitted with missile systems during wartime. Its account did not state that operational missiles were installed during the exercise.“Taipei Port is an important northern gateway for maritime cargo and industrial logistics, as well as a key part of the nation’s critical infrastructure,” Lai said in a social media post.He said the drill tested the readiness of personnel, equipment, and emergency procedures, as well as coordination among the military, coast guard, port authorities, and civilian organizations.The exercise also included defensive scenarios involving naval mine laying, coastal strikes against an attacking force, and measures to deny that force access to the harbor, according to the Presidential Office.Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te boards an Anping class coast guard vessel while inspecting defensive preparations at Taipei Port in New Taipei City, Taiwan, on Aug. 6, 2026. Courtesy of the Office of the ROC PresidentReservists MobilizedTaiwan’s Defense Ministry activated its Tongxin 36 mobilization order on Aug. 6, directing designated reserve formations already undergoing training to begin an immediate simulated transition from peacetime to wartime operations.Other designated reservists were ordered to report at specified times and locations, according to the ministry’s mobilization announcement.Military units also practiced reinforcing Taiwan’s outlying islands with troops transported aboard civilian vessels.The Fourth Combat Zone deployed forces to Xiaoliuqiu, a small island off Taiwan’s southwestern coast near Kaohsiung, for the first time during a Han Kuang exercise, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA).In eastern Taiwan, more than 100 personnel traveled aboard a civilian passenger vessel to Green Island and Orchid Island, off Taitung County on Taiwan’s southeastern coast. The troops established defensive positions, tested communications, and conducted drone reconnaissance after landing, CNA reported.Preparing for EscalationTaiwanese Defense Minister Wellington Koo said Han Kuang was designed to test the military’s response to escalating Chinese pressure, beginning with coast guard and maritime militia activity and potentially progressing to a blockade or armed conflict.The exercise covers command links, intelligence sharing, troop deployments, protection of sea lanes, and transportation of critical supplies, Koo told reporters on Aug. 5, as reported by NTD, sister media outlet of The Epoch Times.Shen Ming-shih, a research fellow at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told NTD that military cooperation with the United States has included observation and advice during Han Kuang, contributions to war games, contacts between corresponding military services, and work involving data links and weapons systems.Koo said Taiwan was drawing on U.S. combat experience to improve its training and that military exchanges with the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command extended beyond what authorities could disclose publicly.