Taiwan Runs 10-Day Han Kuang 42 Drills With 5000 Reservists and First M1A2T Tank Deployment
Taiwan's 42nd Han Kuang exercises, running August 5–14, 2026, expand on prior years by mobilizing two full brigades totaling approximately 5,000 reservists, deploying M1A2T Abrams tanks in combat exercises for the first time, and testing whether weapons production can continue if manufacturing sites are dispersed or supply hubs are attacked. The drills also introduce U.S.-style backbrief command methods and include a first-ever mobile-network degradation test across central and northern Taiwan. Understanding the scope and structure of these exercises matters because they represent measurable changes in how Taiwan is preparing its reserve forces, armored units, and defense industry to operate under wartime conditions.