Taiwan's Marine Corps Amphibious Reconnaissance and Patrol Unit practiced stay-behind operations on Aug. 12, 2026, using personnel de-identification, civilian vehicle cover, and small-team assault tactics to simulate covert operations behind enemy lines as Han Kuang 42 entered its defense in depth and sustained operations phase.
After completing multiple coastal strike and defense missions, the unit received orders to shift into stay-behind mode — replicating the scenario in which forward elements must operate covertly after an enemy advance, supporting garrison troops and degrading enemy combat power through harassment and sabotage.
M109 Assault Boats And Civilian Vehicles Establish Covert Foothold
Following the order, troops immediately moved to a combat readiness port and rapidly unloaded weapons and equipment from M109 assault boats. The vessels were then concealed with camouflage to defeat enemy reconnaissance. Personnel dispersed throughout the surrounding port area and completed de-identification, removing unit markings and insignia. Supplies and equipment were loaded onto civilian vehicles and transported to pre-arranged safe houses, where troops linked up with pre-positioned infiltration personnel, collected cached materiel, and completed combat readiness preparations.
Team Awareness Kit Coordinates Real-Time Target Intelligence
From the safe houses, commanders received orders through the Team Awareness Kit (TAK), a software platform for real-time battlefield coordination. Teams deployed to designated locations and used optical observation equipment alongside reconnaissance drones to conduct on-site surveillance of target areas and transmit intelligence in real time. Based on the field data collected, commanders ran mission briefings and war games to organize teams, assign tasks, and finalize approach routes before the assault.
Multi-Point Infiltration Degrades Enemy Combat Power
Teams geared up and conducted covert night movement toward their respective target areas. Upon reaching the outer perimeter of simulated enemy facilities, they executed simultaneous multi-point entries, using mutual covering fire and establishing fire superiority to neutralize enemy positions. Troops then entered the facilities to conduct search-and-destroy operations against equipment and infrastructure, degrading enemy combat power and achieving the mission objective of delaying enemy forces. （Related： Han Kuang 42 | Marines Airlifted North by Chinook on Opening Day ｜ Latest ）
The Ministry of National Defense characterized the exercise as a validation of the unit's ability to sustain covert operations in a post-invasion environment, with small-team tactics serving as the primary means of attrition against a larger opposing force.
