Taiwan’s military is undergoing a significant strategic shift, moving away from past concepts of defeating adversaries on the opposite shore or seeking decisive battles in littoral areas. Recent developments indicate a transition toward an erosion strategy, which prioritizes sustained operations and layered defense. While much public discourse has focused on equipment procurement and changes to the annual Han Kuang exercises, the fundamental approach to how the Taiwan military intends to fight remains the most critical, yet under-discussed, issue.
A core element of this evolving strategy is the strategic concentration of forces in northern Taiwan, home to the island’s political center, key transportation hubs, and over one-third of its population. Historically, more than half of the active-duty brigade-level forces from the Republic of China (ROC) Army and Marine Corps are stationed north of Miaoli and Yilan. However, recent training exercises have demonstrated a trend of reinforcing this region with units from central and southern Taiwan. During the 2025 Han Kuang Exercise, the Marine Corps 99th Brigade moved north to bolster Taoyuan and the greater Taipei area. This expansion continued during the 2026 Han Kuang Exercise, which saw additional deployments of the Army 564th Combined Arms Brigade and the Army 586th Combined Arms Brigade to the northern region. Consequently, the force concentration in northern Taiwan may now reach nearly two-thirds of the total active-duty ground forces.
This deployment pattern aligns with the military's broader focus on layered defensive networks. In September 2026, during the ROC Army’s annual Lu Sheng exercise, Maj. Gen. Lin Shih-wei, deputy commander of the Army Education, Training, and Doctrine Development Command, confirmed that the exercise was specifically designed around the concept of successive resistance and sustained operations. Under the direction of Chief of the General Staff Admiral Mei Chia-shu, the exercise was moved to northern Taiwan to ensure troops are familiar with the terrain and the employment of firepower within the primary area of operations. By 2026, the cumulative duration of such large-scale exercises has reached nearly one month.
Despite these advancements, the military faces ongoing challenges regarding joint operations across its services. While there is a recognized emphasis on decentralization—ensuring operational units can function independently if command and control is disrupted—the effectiveness of Taiwan's combat capability remains heavily dependent on integrated joint command and control. As Taiwan continues to expand its navy and refine its ground force deployments, the ability to coordinate these assets remains a critical area for future defense development.
You have reached the limit of 2 free articles this month.
The key to an erosion strategy and sustained operations is to delay and strike enemy forces through layered forces. Although Taiwan emphasizes decentralized command and control, this means emphasizing that a single operational unit can continue to carry out assigned actions based on higher-level operational objectives when command and control is disrupted. In terms of military operations, strategically concentrating forces to make it difficult for the enemy to break through and advance is quite important. And this is also what Taiwan is doing.
