Hsinchu county: Six U.S.-made M1A2T Abrams tanks executed a combat readiness exercise in northern Hsinchu County, simulating the defense of a military airport amidst a hypothetical Chinese invasion. The exercise, open to media observation, involved the Army's 584th Armored Brigade responding to orders to secure Hsinchu Air Base, which was simulated as having been captured by enemy forces.
According to Focus Taiwan, the orders to mobilize were communicated through the Team Awareness Kit (TAK), a secure U.S. military-developed mobile application. Following the order, the brigade commander provided a mission briefing and led the convoy on a 22-kilometer journey to the air base in the Nanliao area of Hsinchu County, a key strategic point in northern Taiwan.
Lt. Col. Huang Chen-yung, head of the 3rd Combined Arms Battalion of the 584th Armored Brigade, addressed concerns regarding the tanks' impact on infrastructure. Weighing nearly 70 tonnes, the M1A2Ts distribute their weight evenly, exerting a ground pressure significantly lower than heavy trucks commonly seen in Taiwan, thereby not affecting the civilian bridges in the Hsinchu area.
The exercise accounted for the tanks being potential targets, with strategies implemented to prevent any obstruction of movement. The convoy crossed bridges in smaller groups, with Army troops securing bridgehead outposts to ensure safe passage.
This operation followed recent remarks by Lee Shying-jow, a former National Security Bureau chief, questioning the structural integrity of Taiwanese bridges under the weight of the M1A2Ts. Lee suggested that a significant portion of Taiwan's bridges might not support such weight.
This drill marked the second off-base exercise for the M1A2T tanks since the 584th Armored Brigade received its first batch of 38 Abrams tanks in October 2025. Taiwan's purchase of 108 tanks from the U.S., valued at approximately NT$40.5 billion (US$1.45 billion), was approved in 2019, with all units now delivered.