TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The military has already planned for the impact of Typhoon Gaemi on the Han Kuang 40 drills, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Tuesday (July 23).

The war games are scheduled for July 22-26, but land warnings for the typhoon were issued Tuesday morning, with the worst of the storm expected to pass across north Taiwan Wednesday (July 24) and Thursday (July 25). Changes to the exercises would allow for different types of training, the MND said.

Fighter jet emergency takeoffs and landings followed by quick refueling had been scheduled for Hualien Air Base Tuesday morning, Radio Taiwan International reported. However, those were canceled due to the approaching typhoon. 

Elements including typhoons and other natural disasters had been included in the planning of Han Kuang 40, with adjustments possible to send troops into disaster areas to provide relief, according to MND spokesperson Sun Li-fang (孫立方). Changes would be based on the overall weather situation and not just on local conditions, he said, after hearing reports that the weather in Hualien had been stable during the morning.

Sun said the military would apply the principles of risk management and consider whether it was possible to achieve the aims of the Han Kuang exercises with worsening weather. He emphasized how this year’s edition of the annual war games focused on responding to real-life situations, including weather conditions.