Major General Bargeron, who led a U.S. delegation to Qingdao, China for escalation management talks last year, is now participating in Taiwan’s Han Kuang national defense exercise, set to be the the largest exercise of its kind to date. His participation is the latest in a growing American commitment to Taiwan’s defense.
A Taiwanese Military News Agency photo of Taiwan’s Han Kuang 41 exercise, first spotted by Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA), revealed the participation of U.S. Marine Corps Major General Jay M. Bargeron, marking the first known occurrence of a high level Indo-Pacific Command leader participating in Taiwanese military exercises.
Bargeron was seated next to Taiwanese Minister of Defense Gu Lixiong for the event, bearing the title “Fifth Deputy Secretary of the Indo-Pacific Joint Forces” in Mandarin.
Major General Bargeron is the Director of Indo-Pacific Command’s Strategic Planning and Policy Directorate, focused on “developing initiatives for building partner nations’ and U.S. capabilities and capacities in the air, space, land, sea, and cyber domains,” according to the Department of Defense. Bargeron’s participation is likely in an advisory role intended to assist Taiwan’s military in planning for later portions of the Han Kuang exercise.
The live fire portion of Han Kuang will take place this summer and will reportedly be the largest, longest, and most realistic Han Kuang exercise to date, featuring a large number of reservists that would be mobilized in the event of actual preparations for conflict with China. Han Kuang aims to drill the Taiwanese military in the conduct of war between Taiwan and China.
Recent changes to Taiwan’s Han Kuang exercise eliminated pre-scripted scenarios in a bid to better prepare its forces, opting instead for drills involving communications loss, nighttime fighting, and a blue on red exercise focused on having forces adapt to surprises and unexpected strategies.
A Growing American Commitment To Taiwan’s Defense
The United States has been steadily increasing its involvement in Taiwan’s military training and national exercises. Last year the U.S. Army announced that it had permanently deployed a detachment of Green Berets to Taiwan’s Kinmen Island. The U.S. Marine Corps has also reportedly sent forces to train Taiwanese soldiers in asymmetric strategy.
The U.S. Navy also conducted unannounced exercises with the Taiwanese Navy in June 2024 which featured six ships ranging from supply vessels to frigates. Activities ranged from basic communications and resupply operations to joint anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations. Earlier that year, Taiwanese Chief of General Staff Admiral Mei Chia-shu quietly attended INDOPACOM’s change of command ceremony in Hawaii.
In 2023, Commandant of the Marine Corps General Eric M. Smith stated in an interview with Kyodo News that the Taiwan Relations Act allows for the deployment of any services that would help prevent reunification by force, including troops deployed to the island.
