Taiwan has move its Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) air defense missile systems to the east coast, citing China's "changing military strategy," the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said.

The ministry confirmed that the PAC-3 missile systems have been deployed, for the first time, to the scantly populated Hualien and Taitung areas. The PAC-3 missile defense systems were believe to be stationed on highly populated cities like Kaohsiung, Taichung, and Taipei.

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The MND also merged the Air Defense Missile Command with the air force to streamline the chain of command, according Taipei Times citing a report by the Legislative Yuan.

The relocation and reorganization come after the Chinese People's Liberation Army carried out several long distance naval and aviation training missions in the East China Sea, East Indian Ocean, South China Sea, and western Pacific Ocean to show its capabilities and its ambition to dominate the Asia-Pacific region.

The defense ministry said that the Taiwanese military is eager to develop its combat readiness through innovative military drills and training, military deployment, and enhanced communication among armed forces branches, RT reported citing the CNA.

The country's armed forces will also do routine patrols, air force training sessions, and joint air-naval exercises to boost their abilities to protect the fishing rights and safety of Taiwanese fishermen. It also plans to carry out computer-aided simulations to the regular armed forces exercises. The ministry is exploring innovative ways to create a simulation system using visual and augmented-reality technologies.

This is the first time the military confirmed the deployments, after photos were leaked last month showing the missiles in military air defense bases in the eastern part of Taiwan.

TagsPAC-3, PAC-3, Patriot Advanced Capability-3, Taiwan, china, military tech, missile defense system