Report by Cheng, Yu-Chen and Tu, Chun-Wei

The Chinese New Year holiday is coming. In order to show the country what the Armed Force has prepared for the holiday, Ministry of National Defense invited press media on a two-day tour to visit the Armed Force and witness the efforts of these men and women in their daily training, as to demonstrate the determination of the Armed Force to defense the country through the power of media. The first day of visit involved the drill of anti-aircraft and anti-paratroop warfare, C-130 takeoff in tactical formation, loading of rainmaking payload, airborne medical evacuation and, for the first time, the weapon loading of P-3C. This visit demonstrated the powerful combat strength of the Armed Force in emergency response and highly recognized by the media. The 2015 Chinese New Year Military Service Tour consisted of more than 60 reporters of Taiwan and from around the world led by General Luo, Shao-He, the spokesman of the Armed Force, for a two-day trip starting from yesterday. The tour group visited the 542nd Brigade of Army and 439th Wing of Air Force to find out how these troops have prepared for the Chinese New Year and appreciate the hard work of the servicemen and women. The first day of visit consisted of the joint drill of Army and Air Force for anti-aircraft and anti-paratroop warfare, including preparation of attack, launch of attack, pre-attack maneuver, acquisition, securing and fortification of the target, and combat preparation following the complete of combat area. The drill started step by step as soon as the scenario unfolded. As the drill came to an end, all the participating troopers wished Taiwan the best of Chinese New Year in front of the reporters’ cameras.

The visit to the 439th Wing of Air Force consisted of the starting, taxiing and takeoff of C-130s in tactical formation, and takeoff and low-altitude fly-by of E-2K, S-2T and P-3C. The stationery presentation and demonstration included the rainmaking payload of C-130 and the maneuver of airborne casualty evacuation, showing the performance of troop transportation, joint air drop warfare, maritime search and rescue, and casualty evacuation in Taiwan and surrounding islands. It is worth mentioning that this is the first time the Air Force demonstrated the weapon payload of P-3C with air-launched torpedoes on board. This also showed the constant improvement of our strength in airborne warning, anti-submarine warfare and sea surface reconnaissance and patrol, which helps ensure the security of the seas around Taiwan and keep enemy at bay.Today’s schedule for the 2015 Chinese New Year Military Service Tour will be the visit to the 99th Brigade of Marine Corps, which includes introduction to combat preparation and mission briefing, anti-raid drill at Kaohsiung Harbor and the introduction to preparation and acquisition of equipment as part of military investment projects. Hopefully, the Marine Corps’ combat skill demonstration of teamwork and fierce spirits will strengthen the confidence of people and inspire them to root for the development of the Armed Force.