By Wendell Minnick
BALISHAN, Taiwan — Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou made a rare public appearance at the Lien Yong live-fire joint forces exercise at Balishan in the southern county of Pingtung near Kenting. The June 7 drill included the Taiwan Air Force, Navy and Army units.
Ma’s appearance at the live-fire exercise might have been in response to political criticism for not allowing a live-fire drill for the annual Han Kuang exercise, Taiwan’s largest war games, which took place from April 16-20.
The Lien Yong exercise involved 935 personnel and included a Knox-class frigate, F-16 fighter aircraft (401 TFW), OH-58D Kiowa reconnaissance helicopter, AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopter, Paladin M109 self-propelled 155mm howitzer, and 105mm CM11 main battle tank. The CM-11 is locally produced with a M48H turret and M60 hull.
Ma described the 45-minute exercise as “admirable” and reassured critics that his administration continues to support a strong defense. “We will also continue to procure foreign arms that we cannot produce ourselves,” he said.
Read the full story at DefenseNews