Taipei: The computerized portion of Taiwan's largest annual military drills will be held for 14 days for the second consecutive year, testing the country's all-out defense against China's increasing "gray zone" activities and its potential to carry out a full-scale invasion of the island. The Han Kuang exercises are held annually in two stages, with this year's 42nd edition kicking off with tabletop war games conducted from April 11-24, Maj. Gen. Tung Chi-hsing, director of the Joint Operations Planning Division under the Ministry of National Defense (MND), announced at a briefing in Taipei. According to Focus Taiwan, last year marked the first time the tabletop war games extended to two weeks. In 2024, they lasted eight days, while in prior years, the computerized exercises typically ran for five days. The extension is designed to provide the armed forces with additional time to test their response measures across various scenarios, including those where Chinese forces might suddenly turn their drills into a full-scale invasion. During Thursday's press event, Tung explained that the computerized war games would once again utilize the United States-built Joint Theater Level Simulation (JTLS) platform. These exercises will be held continuously to assess the nation's ability to coordinate and respond to a hypothetical Chinese invasion. The wargames simulate a scenario where the People's Liberation Army (PLA) unexpectedly shifts military exercises or "gray zone" activities-provocative actions that stop short of open conflict-near Taiwan into a real attack. As with 2025, this segment of the exercises will be unscripted to evaluate troops' emergency response capabilities, focusing on responses under decentralized command and round-the-clock operational conditions. The scenario will also test the armed forces' ability to defend the country if the PLA attempts to seize ports and airports before moving inland. In addition to active-duty troops' defensive efforts, the military will mobilize reserve forces and collabor ate with the Central Joint Response Center to practice integrated military-civilian cooperation in repelling intruders, Tung added. However, Tung did not specify during the press event when the live-fire segment of the 42nd Han Kuang exercises would occur this year or how long it would last. Defense Minister Wellington Koo had previously informed reporters that the live-force exercises, usually staged in the summer, would again run for 10 days and nine nights, as they did last year. Since 1984, the annual Han Kuang exercises have served as Taiwan's primary war games, aiming to test the country's combat readiness in the face of a potential Chinese invasion.