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The military of Taiwan has conducted its first live-firing of the American-supplied high mobility artillery rocket system (HIMARS) at a base in Pingtung County on Monday, as reported by Focus Taiwan.
According to Focus Taiwan, the drill was carried out by the Taiwan Army's 58th Artillery Command, which was held at the Jiupeng Base in Manjhou Township. It further noted that the HIMARS can be equipped with one pod containing six 227mm rockets or a single Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) with a range of up to 300 kilometres. In total, 33 rockets were fired, with 11 launch vehicles each firing three rounds. The military, however, did not provide any details on how the drills went, Focus Taiwan reported. Colonel Ho Chih-chung, the 58th Artillery's deputy commander, said the US supplier also sent its personnel to the site to assist with any technical issues during the live-fire exercise. As per Focus Taiwan, Taiwan has purchased 29 HIMARS from the United States, and the first shipment of 11 was delivered in 2024. According to a Ministry of National Defence report submitted to the Legislative Yuan in March, the second batch of 18 HIMARS is scheduled to be delivered next year instead of 2027 as was originally planned. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND) also shared images of the HIMARS test-firing in a post on X. MND wrote on X, "#HIMARS debuts in #Taiwan, showcasing rapid deployment and next-generation strike capabilities." https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/1921864901456261290 According to a previous report by CNN, the US is Taiwan's main ally and arms supplier. Earlier in April, at the 50th anniversary event of the Pacific Forum, former US Indo-Pacific Command Chief Admiral Harry Harris said that China's intensifying pressure on Taiwan and its broader aims in the Indo-Pacific require a more explicit response from the United States, according to a report by Taiwan News. Harris called on Washington to abandon its long-standing policy of "strategic ambiguity" and instead make clear whether it would come to Taiwan's defence in a cross-strait conflict." China has made it abundantly clear it intends to isolate and seize Taiwan," Harris said, referencing Beijing's continued military build-up and hostile posture toward the self-governing island. "We should be equally clear, and we should never allow China to dictate America's foreign policy with regard to Taiwan." The Taiwan-China issue is a complex and longstanding geopolitical conflict centred on Taiwan's sovereignty. Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China (ROC), operates its own government, military, and economy, functioning as a de facto independent state. However, China considers Taiwan a breakaway province and insists on the "One China" policy, which asserts that there is only one China, with Beijing as its capital. This has fuelled decades of tension, especially since the Chinese Civil War (1945-1949), when the ROC government retreated to Taiwan after the Communist Party, led by Mao Zedong, took control of mainland China. Beijing has consistently expressed its goal of reunification with Taiwan, using diplomatic, economic, and military pressure to isolate Taiwan internationally. (ANI)
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