Taiwan's army chief orders drone units folded into its combat-readiness forces

Taiwan's army commander, Gen. Lu Kun-hsiu, has ordered that the service's dedicated drone units be brought into its combat-readiness forces and carry out readiness missions alongside them, the military's Youth Daily News reported on 21 October.

Lu gave the instruction on 20 October while inspecting drone training at units in central Taiwan, accompanied by the army's inspector general and the heads of headquarters departments. He told the departments responsible to lay down clear training subjects, items and timetables for the drone units so that the change lifts overall defensive capability, according to the military newspaper.

During the visit he received a briefing on training results, looked in on classes held in a drone classroom and toured the units' flying grounds. He told commanders that every tactical action by the army's units should now be combined with drones, and said cadres needed new thinking on training methods, range planning and tactics to turn the technology into real combat power.

Lu noted that the drone units had spent a little over a year moving from training their first operators to using the aircraft in tactical roles. He called for more classrooms and training areas, a stronger evaluation system and a higher share of soldiers holding operator certificates. He also told senior officers to keep close checks on the personnel assigned to the drone units and reminded troops to observe military discipline.

The Liberty Times reported that the army has now formed drone battalions in each of the three main-island theatres of operation in the north, centre and south, while each regional command has set up a drone company. Counter-drone systems have been deployed on outlying islands and in key garrison areas, the paper said.

The army's former drone training centre has also been upgraded into an Unmanned Systems Training Command at the level of a branch school. It is responsible for coordinating training and doctrine development for unmanned vehicles across all three services, according to the Liberty Times.

The paper said the army's drone role is shifting from pure reconnaissance to finding and striking targets in a single cycle. In exercises the drone battalions have worked with the army's newest tanks and HIMARS rocket launchers to shorten the time needed to bring fire to bear. Some militarised commercial-grade drones are still in a transition period before delivery, and the counter-drone system is being put out to tender again, but training drones have been issued across the force so that certification rates keep rising, it added.

In an evaluation held by the Unmanned Systems Training Command in April, units flew drones they had assembled themselves and completed attacks on moving targets, the Liberty Times said.

The order builds on earlier guidance from Lu. During a 14 September visit to a Fourth Theatre of Operations wargame and the 203rd Infantry Brigade, he asked units to make drone training routine, build up instructors and prepare storage facilities so that newly acquired drones could be turned into usable capability quickly after delivery.

The defence ministry has said it organises military drone use on three levels. Joint-level systems handle long-range surveillance and strike around Taiwan, tactical-level drones locate and identify enemy ships and landing forces, and combat-level drones extend the reach of existing weapons for coastal, beach and in-depth defence. Four service training institutions concentrate on the more advanced tactical-level instruction.