US-made Abrams tanks to join Taiwan's Lien Yung joint-force drill next month

American-made M1A2T Abrams tanks are set to participate in Taiwan's Lien Yung military drill beginning next month, the second time they will be used in a large-scale exercise. The 584th Armored Brigade has already transferred the tanks to the Joint Operations Training Base in Pingtung County, where the drill will run from late November into December. The Lien Yung exercise, the island's second-largest, aims to evaluate joint operations of the Army, Navy and Air Force against a simulated invasion and will involve conscripts alongside volunteer tank crews.

The Abrams first appeared in the August Han Kuang drills, Taiwan's primary annual exercise. Under a 2019 agreement with Washington, Taiwan purchased 108 M1A2T tanks for roughly US$1.45 billion; 38 were commissioned in late October 2025 and 42 in April, with the remaining 28 still undergoing testing.