Taiwan Invasion Defense
Taiwan Conducts Live-Fire HIMARS Drills, Simulating Defense Against Potential Chinese Invasion
Key Points
Taiwan’s army Sgt. Wang Ming-hui said the live-fire drills would continue “with unwavering determination to protect Taiwan as the nation’s strongest force,” explicitly linking the training to the “current enemy threat.”
Reporting described a rapid execution timeline: during the drills, HIMARS vehicles moved into position and launched practice rockets “within three minutes of receiving orders.”
The exercises were not only about HIMARS: they also included 155 mm howitzers as part of the simulated response plan.
A Wall Street Journal-described detail: the HIMARS launch site was located “near a river mouth on Taiwan’s western coast,” and Grant Newsham said the exercise was meant to show China it would be “hit hard” and “end up with far fewer ships than they started with.”
Taiwan fired U.S.-supplied HIMARS rocket launchers toward the Taiwan Strait on June 10 — the first time the weapons have been used in a live-fire drill on the island's China-facing west coast. Six launchers fired 32 to 36 practice rockets in three waves, with crews moving into position and launching within three minutes of receiving orders, according to CNN.
The drill, staged near the Dajia River estuary in Taichung, is part of Taiwan's broader shift toward fast, mobile defense tactics designed to make any Chinese invasion extremely costly. It comes as a $14 billion U.S. arms package for Taiwan sits on hold, caught up in diplomatic talks between Washington and Beijing.
Shoot-and-Scoot Tactics Signal a New Defense Doctrine
Taiwan's army deployed three HIMARS launchers on each side of the Dajia River and fired practice rockets that landed roughly 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) offshore, according to AP News. The "shoot-and-scoot" method means crews fire and then immediately drive away before an enemy can target them. It is designed to survive China's opening missile strikes.
Army Sgt. Wang Ming-hui said troops would keep up HIMARS training "with unwavering determination to protect Taiwan as the nation's strongest force," directly citing the "current enemy threat." Company Commander Ko Ming-pin added that the drill "successfully completed this training" and showed "solid combat capabilities." The exercise also included 155 mm howitzers as part of a simulated invasion response.
West Coast Location Targets China's Most Likely Landing Zones
The choice of Taiwan's west coast is deliberate. The Taiwan Strait's "red beaches" — flat, open stretches of coastline — are the most likely spots for a Chinese amphibious landing. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Dajia River launch site was picked because it overlooks one of those key zones in central Taiwan.
Retired U.S. Marine Colonel Grant Newsham said the drill sends a clear message. "This is sending a message to the Chinese that they are going to get hit hard," he told The Wall Street Journal, adding that China "will end up with far fewer ships than they started with." Taiwan had previously test-fired HIMARS only on the east coast, in 2025. Moving the drills west is a major step up in signaling.
$14 Billion Arms Deal Frozen After Trump-Xi Summit
The drills happened against a complicated backdrop in Washington. In January 2026, the U.S. Congress approved a $14 billion arms package for Taiwan. But after a three-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing in May, President Trump said the package was being held "in abeyance," calling it a "very good negotiating chip," according to Reuters.
Analysts say Taiwan has effectively become a bargaining tool in a broader U.S.-China deal covering trade and technology. The Council on Foreign Relations noted in May 2026 that the freeze suggests Taiwan is a secondary priority for the Trump administration. Despite that, Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te has pushed ahead with domestic defense spending and asymmetric military upgrades.
Beijing Calls the Drills Bluffing; Analysts Disagree
China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokeswoman Zhang Han dismissed the exercises as "nothing more than putting on an act and bluffing to embolden themselves." Beijing regularly sends warships and aircraft near Taiwan and insists the island must come under its control. Experts expect China to increase so-called "gray zone" moves — low-level military pressure just below open conflict — in response to the drills.
Military analysts point to Ukraine as proof the strategy works. HIMARS devastated Russian logistics and troop concentrations there, giving Taiwan a real-world blueprint. The system can fire ATACMS missiles with a range of up to 300 kilometers — far enough to reach China's Fujian province across the Strait, according to AP News. Taiwan is betting that threat alone changes Beijing's math.
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