Taiwan Security Monitor (台灣安全觀測站)

The US Army conducted a HIMARS live-fire exercise at the Higashi-Fuji Maneuver Area in Shizuoka Prefecture on Oct. 28, per Japan's Ministry of Defense. The ministry said realistic live fire with long-range equipment is needed to strengthen deterrence and response capability as the security environment around Japan worsens. In May, US Marines ran a "shoot-and-scoot" HIMARS drill near Mount Fuji, which was reported as the second HIMARS firing at Camp Fuji. Below is TSM’s visualization of the exercise's location and the maximum ranges of the GMLRS, extended-range GMLRS and ATACMS munitions that HIMARS can fire:

Taiwan's Ministry of the Interior said on Oct. 29 that it plans to set up disaster coordination centers at township and district offices, assigning one advisor and 10 to 15 substitute service personnel to each of 65 offices in indigenous areas and places at risk of isolation during disasters, starting in 2027. Advisors will be recruited from disaster prevention professionals, retired military officers, police, firefighters, and certified teachers, and will receive refresher training each year before flood season.

Taiwan's Naval Meteorological and Oceanographic Office issued a navigation warning for eight Army live-fire exercise zones in Kinmen's waters, scheduled for Nov. 2 to 16. Each zone has a 2 to 3 NM danger area, with airspace restricted between 1,000 and 6,600 ft.

Taiwan opened GUAVA, a new international drone academy, on Oct. 30, with Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim saying Taiwan's drone exports in the first half of 2026 already exceeded its total for all of 2025. Hsiao outlined three pillars for making Taiwan Asia's democratic drone supply chain hub: a 100% non-red supply chain, edge AI and software-defined innovation, and drone diplomacy through co-development and co-production. The privately funded academy signed MOUs with NCSIST and Poland's drone association at the launch.

The ROCA has grounded its AH-64E Apache fleet for inspections following a U.S. technical notification about gearbox risks, Minister of Defense Wellington Koo said on Oct. 29. Koo said AH-1W SuperCobras and OH-58Ds will carry out readiness missions during the inspections, but did not say how long the grounding will last. The U.S. Army paused flights on Oct. 2 for AH-64Es equipped with Improved Drive System transmissions until inspections and corrective actions are complete.

Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration expelled four China Coast Guard vessels, CCG 14608, 14531, 14607, and 14529, from Kinmen's restricted waters twice on Oct. 30. The ships approached at about 8 a.m. and left at 11:03 a.m., then returned at about 2 p.m. and left at 5 p.m. CGA patrol boats shadowed each vessel one-to-one, while the CCG ships radioed that "Taiwan's retrocession and the reunification of the motherland are a historic cause." The CGA replied that the two sides are not subordinate to each other.

Seven PLAN warships and a China Coast Guard cutter transited Japan's southwestern islands on Oct. 27, per Japan Joint Staff releases. Two groups passed southeast through the Miyako Strait: the Type 055 destroyer Lhasa (102) with a Type 903 replenishment ship, and the Type 052D destroyer Xining (117) with the Type 054A frigate Yancheng (546). The Type 055 destroyer Dongguan (109), Type 052D destroyer Baotou (133), Type 054A frigate Xuzhou (530), and CCG 2307 sailed east through the Osumi Strait. PLA Y-9 intelligence aircraft on Oct. 27 and 28 and a BZK-005 drone on Oct. 28 flew through the Miyako gap, while a Y-9 patrol aircraft operated over the East China Sea. Below is TSM's visualization of the PLA and PLAN's activity around Japan:

The ROCA 584th Combined Arms Brigade's 2nd Battalion, the last unit converting to the M1A2T, has moved to platoon-level live-fire training at the Kengzikou range in Hsinchu, according to the Liberty Times. The brigade's 3rd Battalion became operational with the tank on Oct. 31, 2025, and its 1st Battalion on April 10, 2026. All 108 M1A2Ts have arrived in Taiwan, with 10 assigned to the Armor Training Command and the rest to the 584th and 269th Brigades.

The ROCAF plans to spend NT$3.56 billion (US$111 million) from 2026 to 2030 on three double-bay maintenance hangars and one double-bay alert hangar for its C-130H fleet in Pingtung, which has been parked outdoors for most of its nearly 40 years in service, according to an MND report to the Legislative Yuan. Acid rain and heat have driven up failure rates in the aircraft's wiring, fuel systems, and airframes, the Liberty Times reported. Military sources said the hangars will also house 10 new C-130Js the MND plans to buy under its Taiwushan 3 program.

An infantry company of the ROCA Juguang Garrison Battalion in Matsu conducted a readiness reconnaissance drill on October 28th, deploying in CM21 armored vehicles to practice security, search, and response against a simulated enemy, along with combat casualty care and field repairs.

ARMS UPDATE: Taiwan is set to receive all six U.S.-made MS-110 multispectral reconnaissance pods for its F-16V fleet by the end of December under a NT$9.63 billion (US$302 million) program, with two already delivered, according to an MND report to the Legislative Yuan. F-16Vs from Hualien's Chiashan Air Base completed initial flight evaluations with the first two pods in August. The pods have an imaging range of more than 148 km and transmit imagery in real time to four ground stations linked to the Hengshan Military Command Center, military sources said.

Taiwan's National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu said the PLA is sending groups of vessels, including the PLAN carrier Liaoning (16), to exercise east of the First Island Chain. TSM counts 34 PLAN and 19 CCG/MSA/RSB vessels as of Oct. 28, including three theater command far-seas formations. The Liaoning transited between Okinawa and Miyako on Oct. 14 with destroyers Anshan (103), Wuxi (104) and Huainan (123), per Japan's Joint Staff.

NCSIST said on Oct. 23 that it found a suspected PRC-made communication signal filter during an inspection of components for the air-launched Hsiung Feng III missile it is developing for the Indigenous Defense Fighter. The institute said the part had not been installed, contains no transmitting or embedded electronic components, and that it has asked the supplier for an explanation. NCSIST test-fired the missile near Jiupeng Military Base in July and must cut its weight below 1,000 kg for IDF carriage.

Five China Coast Guard vessels shadowed eight Japan Coast Guard ships southwest of Penghu's Qimei Island, outside Taiwan's contiguous zone, as the Japanese ships sheltered from Typhoon Champi on Oct. 22, Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration said. The JCG group included the helicopter-carrying patrol vessels Reimei (PLH-33), Yashima (PLH-22), and Ryukyu (PLH-09), while the CCG deployed three 3,000-ton cutters and two 5,000-ton Daishan-class vessels. The CGA called on Beijing not to exploit the typhoon to create the false impression that the Taiwan Strait constitutes internal waters.

TSM's Han Kuang 42 Debrief, featuring visualizations and maps, is now live on The Monitor! The exercise's live-fire phase, held Aug. 5–14, mobilized twice as many reserve brigades as last year and debuted an anti-decapitation drill that evacuated President Lai Ching-te to the Hengshan Command Post. It also marked the first exercise for the new Littoral Combat Command and the first deployment of M1A2T tanks to Taoyuan International Airport, though drone use remained limited despite expectations. Read it (and more) here: tsm.schar.gmu.edu/han-kuang-…

The ROC Marine Corps 66th Brigade deployed two AAV7 amphibious assault vehicles and inflatable boats to the Su'ao Township Office in Yilan on Oct. 22 to support preventive evacuations as Typhoon Champi approached Taiwan, according to the Military News Agency. The Marines are on standby in coordination with the Yilan County Government's disaster preparations.

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an has proposed closing Songshan Airport and redeveloping the site as an AI park. Songshan is one of 14 military and dual-use airfields Taiwan operates, and the only one in the capital. About 59% of the airport's 213 hectares is military, and it hosts Air Force units, the National Airborne Service Corps, and executive transport aircraft for the president and senior officials. Minister of Defense Wellington Koo has said any move would require its functions to be replaced, and the National Security Bureau has said a suitable alternative near Taipei would be difficult to find. Here is TSM's visualization of Taiwan's military air bases and airfields:

M1A2T crews from the ROCA 584th Combined Arms Brigade's 2nd Battalion conducted platoon-level live-fire training at the Kengzikou range in Hsinchu on Oct. 21 as part of the battalion's conversion to the tank from the CM11. Tanks fired 120mm rounds in two-tank sections using bounding overwatch, then in four-tank platoon volleys, against stationary and moving targets, including while on the move.

Taiwan has received 275 of 460 new U.S. diesel engines for the ROCA's M60A3 tanks under a NT$7.245 billion (US$226 million) program, with the fifth batch of 70 arriving this month, according to the Liberty Times. Some re-engined tanks have experienced abnormal gear shifting and delayed power output, which U.S. manufacturer technicians traced to the tanks' aging CD-850 transmissions. With the CD-850 out of production, the Army is weighing purchases from third countries holding the technical license or new stock sourced through U.S. firms, military sources said.