Porcupine Strategy to Block a Chinese Invasion: Taiwan's Han Kuang Drills Build Real-World Capability

The approach trains forces to hide and wage guerrilla warfare so that Chinese troops cannot easily take the island, with the goal of addressing Taiwan's weak points and resisting Chinese forces effectively. Through the drills, Taiwan's military showed its determination to make full use of its defensive capabilities so that China would find it hard to quickly seize control of the island.

No single training ground is fixed; the drills unfold simultaneously in a variety of areas, from major cities to rural districts, creating conditions that resemble an actual battlefield. The aim is to build the military's ability to respond immediately in any situation.

Serious concern about how to prepare for a Chinese invasion by a formidable military ran throughout the exercise. Beyond simply following training procedures, the focus was on strengthening the military's ability to respond effectively in an actual crisis.

Taiwan's forces may match or even exceed Chinese forces in equipment, but the drills reflected deep consideration of how to fight a war once supply lines are cut. This premise sharpened the drills' realism and focused them on preparing for multiple, combined threats.

Taiwan studied the Ukraine war closely and incorporated its lessons into the drills. Analyzing how Ukraine prevailed against a much larger opponent, Taiwan concluded that a preemptive attack cannot be fully prevented, so much of the research focused on how to counterattack when an assault occurs and how to hide from enemy strikes while waging guerrilla warfare. This had a significant influence on strengthening Taiwan's defensive strategy built on asymmetric capabilities.

This year's Han Kuang drills were carried out as 'unscripted exercises.' Unlike Korean drills, the movements of attacking and defending sides were not decided in advance, and factors such as weather were assigned at random to create variables resembling a real battlefield. For example, during casualty treatment training a sudden rain forced troops to treat the wounded while getting soaked, and the size and location of enemy forces were often not announced on site, so real response ability was evaluated. This shows the focus on building the ability to respond flexibly even in unpredictable situations.

The methods included converting ordinary parking lots to conceal tanks, and holding fuel trucks covertly until enemy attacks subsided, then gathering tanks at random locations to refuel them before dispersing again. This was training aimed at overcoming the limits of the equipment and securing mobility.

Premised on the idea that Taiwan cannot stop a Chinese invasion 100% of the time, the focus was on how long forces could hold out and keep counterattacking until reinforcements arrived. In a new town near Songshan Airport in Taipei (similar to Gimpo Airport), civilian contractors and engineers worked together to install barricades and sand barriers at a tunnel entrance leading to the airport. Roadside markers were used to block the tunnel entrance, and during this process enemy troops infiltrated at random and fired blank rounds, recreating a realistic urban combat situation.

The method involves building temporary bases at places such as lakeshores or urban factory sites, where helicopters are refueled and reloaded with missiles before being sent back out. The training shows that Taiwan's forces rely on 'hit-and-run' guerrilla tactics as a basic approach and are seriously considering countermeasures against China's overwhelming firepower. It reflects a determination to keep operational capability even when key facilities are destroyed.

When civil defense drills are held in Korea, foreigners are surprised, but Koreans tend to take them as drills and move on. In Taiwan, by contrast, during the drill period, even when tanks or self-propelled howitzers passed through the city and gunfire sounded, ordinary citizens continued their daily lives without major disturbance. This suggests that Taiwan is routinely exposed to military threats and tends to regard such drills as part of everyday life.

Special correspondent Kim Min-seok reported that even without being a journalist or holding special permission, anyone could watch when drills took place in front of their homes or when troops were deploying, and no one stopped them. This open attitude shows that military exercises are closely tied to citizens' daily lives, and is seen as contributing to greater public vigilance and understanding.

Special correspondent Kim Min-seok explained that the reservists mobilized for this drill received more intense real-world training than expected. Beyond installing barricades and barbed wire, the training included mass-casualty drills in which 10 to 20 wounded people had to be given first aid at once and transported by ambulance. Such training is normally given only to active-duty soldiers, but Taiwan's military drafted reservists with medical backgrounds, such as nurses and doctors from hospitals, to handle first aid, and trained new recruits in first-aid methods as well. It also showed that reservists were being issued new firearms and new equipment and trained to a level ready for combat deployment.

He noted that while active-duty troops must bear the initial fighting, they could be placed at risk by China's overwhelming numbers, so reservists must be mobilized to serve as powerful reinforcements. Taiwan's military is therefore putting significant effort into organizing reservists and training them to build real combat capability.

As part of the drills, scenarios were staged in which mobile phone signals were temporarily cut off in the city. These exercises have meaning beyond the military dimension, preparing citizens to protect themselves in wartime and minimize confusion.

Citizens responded with remarks like, "Wow, that looks impressive — so this is how we'd have to act if war really broke out," and reportedly gained insight into how to behave should an actual situation arise. This suggests the drills contributed to giving citizens practical crisis-response ability, rather than being mere spectacle.

China's actions created tension resembling a real operational setting and formed the backdrop against which Taiwan had no choice but to hold its drills under pressure.

They judged that China is already continuously pressuring Taiwan and could, under the guise of routine exercises, move forces in, immediately carry out a naval blockade, and then proceed to an amphibious landing — a 'gray-zone strategy.' This scenario shows that Taiwan's military approached the drills with a sense of vigilance toward a real threat.

Special correspondent Kim Min-seok noted that Taiwanese media gave the drills positive reviews, and that showing military exercises taking place where people live significantly changed the tone of online comments. This suggests the drills had a positive effect in restoring Taiwanese citizens' confidence and unifying their sense of crisis in the face of China's 'cognitive warfare.' The realistic and open nature of the drills is seen as having worked in drawing citizens into understanding and participating in the question of war.

Special correspondent Kim Min-seok explained that Taiwan showed many methods for rapidly developing reservists in this way. It reflects a focus on asymmetric force operations that can achieve maximum effect at low cost against China's large-scale military power.

Special correspondent Kim Min-seok reported that when he heard about the missile deployment and went to the site to cover it, the missile units had already withdrawn. The training is designed so that missiles can be fired quickly and the unit can escape, securing the mobility to counterattack effectively while evading enemy strikes. Special correspondent Kim Min-seok assessed that many aspects of this training approach are worth learning from for the Korean military as well.