Taiwan conducts 2026 Town Resilience air defense exercises

civil defense exercise mobile network speed reduction air defense drill communication resilience Taiwan security

Taiwan is conducting the 2026 Town Resilience (Air Defense) Exercises, a series of staggered regional drills designed to test government response capabilities in limited communication environments. A notable new component of this year's exercise is a simulated mobile network speed reduction.

During specific 30-minute windows, 4G and 5G mobile data speeds in selected regions will be reduced to approximately 1% of normal capacity. This reduction is intended to simulate the impact of damaged communication infrastructure during a crisis. While high-bandwidth services like video streaming, video calls, and mobile payments will be significantly affected, emergency services—including 110, 119, voice calls, SMS, and disaster alert broadcasts—will remain fully operational. Fixed-line internet and Wi-Fi services will not be affected.

The drills are being held in stages. The central region drill, covering seven counties and cities including Miaoli, Taichung, and Changhua, took place on August 10. The northern region drill, covering seven areas including Taipei, New Taipei, and Taoyuan, is scheduled for August 13. Other regional drills include the offshore islands of Kinmen, Matsu, and Penghu on August 11.

Authorities have reminded the public that failure to comply with civil defense regulations during these exercises can result in fines ranging from NT$30,000 to NT$150,000.

Entities

Changhua County · Chunghwa Post · Executive Yuan · Ministry of National Defense · Ministry of the Interior · National Communications Commission · National Defense Ministry · Taiwan

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 3 SOURCES] The northern drill scheduled for August 13 covers Yilan, Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City, and Hsinchu County. www.epochtimes.com · mrmad.com.tw · applealmond.com
[● 5 SOURCES] Emergency services including 110, 119, voice calls, SMS, and disaster alert broadcasts will remain operational during the network speed reduction. theinitium.com · mrmad.com.tw · bccnews.com.tw · www.thehubnews.net
[● 5 SOURCES] Mobile network speeds (4G/5G) will be reduced to approximately 1% of normal capacity during specific drill windows. theinitium.com · mrmad.com.tw · bccnews.com.tw · www.thehubnews.net
[● 5 SOURCES] High-bandwidth services such as video streaming, video calls, and mobile payments will be significantly affected. theinitium.com · mrmad.com.tw · bccnews.com.tw · www.thehubnews.net
[● 2 SOURCES] The network reduction drill in central Taiwan covers seven counties/cities: Miaoli, Taichung, Nantou, Changhua, Yunlin, Chiayi County, and Chiayi City. www.epochtimes.com
[● 2 SOURCES] Violations of civil defense regulations can result in fines between NT$30,000 and NT$150,000. www.epochtimes.com · applealmond.com
[● 6 SOURCES] The 2026 Town Resilience (Air Defense) Exercise will use a staggered schedule by region. www.epochtimes.com · theinitium.com · mrmad.com.tw · bccnews.com.tw · www.thehubnews.net · +1 more
[● 2 SOURCES] The drills are designed to test government response capabilities in limited communication environments and promote backup communication methods. theinitium.com
[● 2 SOURCES] Emergency services including 110, 119, voice calls, and SMS text messages will remain functional during the speed reduction. theinitium.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] The 2026 Town Resilience (Air Defense) Exercises will be conducted in stages across different regions. www.epochtimes.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] Violating civil defense regulations during the exercises can result in fines between NT$30,000 and NT$150,000. www.epochtimes.com
[● 5 SOURCES] The central region drill covering seven counties/cities is scheduled for August 10, 2026, from 14:30 to 15:00. www.epochtimes.com · mrmad.com.tw · bccnews.com.tw · www.thehubnews.net