Expanded civil resilience drills start this monthPREPARING THE NATION: This year’s drills would incorporate for the first time drones for transporting supplies in Chiayi and Pingtung counties, a minister saidBy Chung Li-hua and Fion Khan / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Urban Resilience Exercises are to begin this month in coordination with the Han Kuang military drills, focusing on protecting critical infrastructure and civil-military integration, Minister Without Portfolio Chi Lien-cheng (季連成) said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense last week announced that the 42nd Han Kuang exercises would begin with tabletop war games to be held from Saturday to April 24 and live-fire drills planned for August. Of the nation’s 22 administrative regions, 11 of them are to conduct urban resilience drills this year, while the remaining would hold disaster-prevention exercises in the second half of the year, rotating every two years, Chi said. The remaining seven regions, including Taoyuan, are to conduct two-day drills between this month and August, he added. The Urban Resilience Exercises have been expanded from one day last year to two days this year, with the first day dedicated to tabletop simulations and the second to field operations, he said.
