Taiwan's army is expanding its biggest annual force-on-force exercise, a sign the military is pushing harder on realistic combat training as tensions with China stay high.

• The Land Victory 2 exercise runs October 14 to 23, stretched from last year's seven days to ten days and nine nights.
• A northern combined-arms brigade will fight a southern one in an unscripted, round-the-clock drill.
• Drone attacks and counter-drone work are expected to be written into the scenario for the first time.
• The drills test firepower scoring, rules of engagement, small-unit decision-making, and supply lines to expose real gaps in Taiwan's defense plans.
• Defense analysts want Taiwan to add long-endurance drones that can stay up six hours or more, the way the US military uses them, so brigade commanders can see the whole battlefield live.

Outlook: Expect drone warfare to become a permanent fixture of Taiwan's brigade-level training as the army keeps lengthening and toughening these exercises.