Kinmen drills simulate coastal combat, drone defenseStaff writer, with CNAThe army's Kinmen Defense Command today launched the Taiwu live-fire drills on Kinmen County’s Lieyu Island, just off the coast of China, to test the military's readiness to engage in coastal combat and respond to uncrewed aerial systems. Lieyu Island is about 5km from Xiamen, China, at its closest point and about 210km from Taiwan’s main island. A tank fires during a Taiwu live-fire exercise on Kinmen County’s Lieyu Island today. Photo: Wu Cheng-ting, Taipei TimesTroops from the Lieyu Garrison Battalion deployed standard-issue weapons to perform drills covering drone response, live-fire defense, near-shore defense and beach combat, as well as final protective fire, the command said. The command did not describe in detail how personnel performed during the drills, saying only that they demonstrated the benefits of routine combat readiness exercises.

Source: Taipei Times March 18, 2026 14:55 UTC