In a pointed show of military capability, Taiwan conducted a live-fire drill featuring the HIMARS — the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System supplied by the United States. The U.S.-made launchers were the centerpiece of the exercise: after receiving a firing order, the vehicles maneuvered into position and launched rockets with bright flashes within three minutes, demonstrating the system’s rapid mobility and readiness.
The rockets were fired in the direction of mainland China, a deliberate signal amid persistently high cross-strait tensions. The drill underscores Taiwan’s growing integration of advanced Western weaponry into its defense posture and its willingness to publicly demonstrate that capability [35].
