Taiwan Security Monitor

Circulating rumors of a military buildup in the province (not city, as has been erroneously labeled) of Fujian are currently unsubstantiated.

Videos circulating are either old, not from the Eastern Theater Command, or are part of normal amphibious activity for July/August.

Images from an All-Out Defense Education event conducted by the Army Aviation Command's 601st Brigade involving AH-64E Apache and CH-47SD transport helicopters.

📸: MNA/MND

Taiwan Arms Sale Backlog, June 2025 Update: New MND Document Sheds Light on Arms Sale Status - Taiwan Security Monitor By Eric Gomez Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) released a document in June 2025 that reports on the status of several US arms sales to the Legislative Yuan (LY). This is the third such docu...

The June 2025 update of the Taiwan Arm Sales Backlog is now live! Check out the great work by Fellow Eric Gomez and Research Team Lead
@joconnor04.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/tsm-june-202...

Highlighted is Wanban Bridge, where the ROCMP erected barricades and conducted a simulated defense using anti-tank equipment on the 14th

Defense and fortification of traffic nodes and bridges have been a major focus of this year’s Han Kuang exercises

See our visualization of major bridges leading into the city of Taipei.

Han Kuang 2025: Here is what happened on Day 8!

Three major defensive exercises by the ROCA, including the 6th and 8th Army Corps participating in defense-in-depth and resiliency drills.

Additionally, air raid drills were held in the south of Taiwan as part of the 2025 Urban Resiliency exercises

ROCAF live-fire exercises around Taiwan will resume tomorrow, July 14th, continuing into July 18th.

This activity is concurrent with ongoing Han Kuang exercises, but is technically independent of them.

It is day five of Taiwan's Han Kuang military exercise.

Today's exercises focus on containing and defeating a large-scale landing attempt. The ROCN will shift from preservation to tactical operations, and the 6th Army Corps will practice quick deployments alongside the 99th and 66th Marine Brigades

NEW: The China Coast Guard entered the restricted waters off of Taiwan's Dongsha Island on both 7/9 and 7/10, according to Taiwan's Coast Guard.

CCG vessels 3301 and 5303 operated without AIS, similar to recent CCG incursions around Kinmen on 7/10 and 7/11

It is day three of Taiwan's yearly Han Kuang nation-wide military exercise, and here is a rundown of major drills planned!

Several engineer formations will practice coastal obstacle creation, and readiness levels will be raised to simulate grey-zone crisis response.

漢光41》為何今年度漢光演習這麼重要？ 四大重點一次看 - 自由軍武頻道 國防部今日起實施為期10天9夜的「漢光41號」實兵演習，盱衡中國當前威脅、外國戰爭實例及我國兵推結果，今年度演習不但創下「史上最長」的紀錄，還大量動員後備部隊、深化軍民合作、動用捷運等設施等支援國軍任務，《自由時報》軍武頻道為您一次盤點今年度漢光演習四大重點。史上最長的實兵演習期程今年度「漢光41號

Exercise photo and reporting source: def.ltn.com.tw/article/brea...

Today, soldiers from the 53rd Engineer Group of the 6th Army Corps will practice creating "barrier chains" with barrels full of explosives and fuel at the mouth of the Tamsui River near Taipei.

The Tamsui runs from the coast into the core of Taipei, creating fears of infiltration during wartime.

Below is TSM's visualization of the nationwide military exercises planned on day 2 of Han Kuang 2025.

Highlights include aircraft dispersal drills, critical infrastructure protection, and expanded reserve recall training.

Alongside the 302nd Brigade, the 104th Army Infantry Brigade co-located in Chenggongling camp have also been mobilized for Han Kuang.

The 104th will conduct pre-combat training in the Xiushui and Lukang districts of Changhua county. It is responsible for coastal defense during wartime.

Today, July 9th, the ROCN carried out a series of naval drills and exercises as part of Han Kuang, ranging from Coastal Defense Missile Unit deployments to drills testing rapid reaction to defend ports and coastal areas. Here's where today's activities took place:

The second major confirmed mobilization of reserve formations during Han Kuang 2025 is the 302nd Army Infantry Brigade headquartered in Taichung.

Reservists were mobilized in Miaoli County, where they were photographed practicing small arms handling and routine drill

Update: The PRC's Taiwan Affairs Office has released a statement that the export controls are punishments for entities "aiding and abetting" President Lai's "Taiwan independence" position, and that these export controls are a "stern warning" to "defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity"

NEW: PRC's Ministry of Commerce has added 8 Taiwanese entities to its export control list.

These include major Taiwanese defense production companies, including the NCSIST, who develop many of Taiwan's missile systems.

Exporting of "dual-use" material is now prohibited, effective immediately.

This will include exercises close to the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which has served as the de-facto boundary between Chinese and Taiwanese airspace since 1955.

Throughout July, the ROCAF will be holding live-fire exercises in the airspace around Taiwan.

These exercises are independent of Han Kuang but will be taking place concurrently.

Earlier today, the PRC's Ministry of Defense held the first of their bi-monthly press conferences for July. Senior Colonel Jiang Bin was asked for comment regarding the upcoming Han Kuang exercises in Taiwan.

See his remarks below:

Reportedly, the entire brigade will be mobilized, totaling roughly 4,000 personnel. A smaller exercise, focused on testing mobilization capacity, has already begun between the 206th Brigade and reserve formations in Taoyuan.

One of the largest call-ups of Taiwan's reservists for 2025's Han Kuang exercises will take place in the 206th Army Infantry Brigade, a reserve formation usually focused on training and education.

🧵HAN KUANG MONITOR 2025 THREAD 🧵

Over the course of the exercise, TSM, in collaboration with
Jaime Ocon, will share information and visualizations for Taiwan's annual military exercise "Han Kuang."

This thread will serve as a list of those posts, so save for future use!

The Shandong's five day visit to Hong Kong has concluded, per PRC media.

A total of 30,000 locals attended various activities throughout the visit.

It was the Shandong's first visit to Hong Kong, and the second visit by a PLAN carrier following the Liaoning's visit in 2017.

@starsandstripes.bsky.social reported Japan plans to build five bomb shelters across the Sakishima island chain.

This is part of a broader campaign to prepare for possible Taiwan contingencies, including plans for evacuating the lower islands.

See our map depicting those evacuation plans.

The PRC's Maritime Safety Administration has issued a navigation warning for live-fire activity in the Taiwan Strait, east of Guangdong.

Entry is prohibited from 0000-1000 on July 4th. This drill was also held yesterday, July 2nd.

On June 30, the China Coast Guard announced that it conducted "law enforcement patrols" in the waters surrounding Scarborough Shoal. Since early June, the CCG has increased the frequency of these patrols, carrying out tracking, surveillance, verbal warnings, and interdiction/expulsion operations.

Taiwan Arms Sale Backlog, May 2025 Update: Budget Unfreezing Reports Reveal New Information about Delivery Timelines - Taiwan Security Monitor By Eric Gomez and Joseph O’Connor The backlog of US weapons that have been sold but not delivered to Taiwan did not see any major shifts in the month of May. The backlog’s total value remains $21.5 bi...

The May 2025 update of the Taiwan Arm Sales Backlog is now live! Check out the great work by Fellow Eric Gomez and Research Team Lead @joconnor04.bsky.social.

tinyurl.com/tsm-arms-may...

Today, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied a report by Czech intelligence alleging the Chinese government had Taiwanese Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim followed and intimidated during a March 2024 visit to Prague, explicitly stating that there is "no such thing" as a Vice President of Taiwan.