In 1st-of-its-kind drill, US Army operators train to defend Taiwan against Chinese attack

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•At US Army Special Operations Command's annual capabilities exercise, soldiers trained to defend Taiwan.

•It was the first Taiwan scenario in the exercise, with a concrete mock-up representing the island.

•Soldiers mixed tactics and weapons used in the war on terror with other tools, illustrating the focus on China.

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FORT BRAGG, North Carolina — Members of the US Army's Special Operations Command fired Carl Gustaf recoilless rifles, breached tunnels and operated Switchblade drones that flew with an unsettling whiz over a training area on Thursday.

The exercise combined some of the hallmark tactics and weapons that were used during the Global War on Terror with other tools reflecting a seismic shift for the command as it prepares for potential conflict against major military rivals.

The training was part of the USASOC's annual capabilities exercise, or CAPEX, and the mission they were gaming out was an insertion into Taiwan to defend against a Chinese invasion.

It was the first-ever use of a Taiwan scenario for the exercise, with a concrete mock-up meant to represent that country. So instead of hovering 8,000 miles away in the South China Sea where the island actually is perched, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment's Chinooks landed on Range 68 at Fort Bragg.

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"The [People's Republic of China], in accordance with our national defense strategy, is our true pacing challenge out there," Lt. Gen. Jonathan P. Braga, commanding general of USASOC, said in a speech ahead of the exercise.

"Ultimately, what we are trying to do is prevent World War III," he said. "That's our job."

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