Taiwan fired U.S.-supplied truck-mounted Himars launchers into the strategic waters of the Taiwan Strait for the first time on Wednesday, according to the Wall Street Journal, using a weapons system the island is counting on to deter a potential Chinese invasion. The 36 rockets were launched in three rounds from a site near a river mouth on Taiwan’s western coast, an area the military has identified as a potential landing point for amphibious assault forces.
The live-fire exercise was the highlight of two days of military drills aimed at demonstrating Taiwan’s ability to defend against an amphibious invasion. In the past, Taiwan’s live-fire training was typically conducted at a remote launch site on the southeastern coast facing the Pacific Ocean. The army said it wants to make its training more realistic. “The best way to practice live firing is right in the area you’re supposed to defend,” Chou Yu-ping, a retired Taiwanese air force colonel, told the Wall Street Journal.
Grant Newsham, a retired U.S. Marine colonel who served in several Indo-Pacific roles, said the drill carried a direct message for Beijing. “This is sending a message to the Chinese that they are going to get hit hard if they try to come across the strait — and will end up with far fewer ships than they started with,” Newsham told the Journal.
The exercise comes as a $14 billion U.S. arms package for Taiwan remains in limbo. President Trump said in May after meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping that he considers the package to be “a very good negotiating chip” with China, according to the Journal. Xi has made clear he opposes U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. The Trump administration has held off on approving the package as it maintains a conciliatory tone toward Beijing.
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te has made building up the island’s defenses against China a priority. The Himars system is part of an asymmetric defense strategy aimed at deterring China’s much larger military. Taiwan received approval in December from the Trump administration to buy 82 additional Himars and related equipment for roughly $4 billion, including 420 Atacams missiles capable of reaching China’s southeastern coast.
China has highlighted the Himars in its own military drills. During a large-scale Chinese exercise around Taiwan in December, state broadcaster CCTV aired footage depicting Chinese long-range artillery targeting Taiwan’s Himars. Beijing’s messaging reflects the threat the system poses, Newsham said. “When the Chinese complain about something its intended victims are doing, you know they should do more of it.”
China did not immediately comment on Wednesday’s exercise. The drills also coincided with the arrival in Washington of Taiwan’s main opposition leader, Cheng Li-wun, who is presenting herself as someone who can better ensure peaceful cross-strait relations after meeting Xi in April.
Wednesday’s live-fire test marked the first time the Taiwanese military has fired the Himars off a beach at a location deemed a potential invasion point. As the first rockets launched into the sky, a flock of birds dispersed from a nearby coastal wetland, according to the Journal. While Wednesday’s test had a limited range — targets were less than 6 miles offshore — Taiwan has missiles for the Himars capable of reaching mainland China.