Most Taiwanese people agree with the military's core message from this year's Han Kuang war games, a sign of solid public backing for the island's defense posture as pressure from China continues.

• Two-thirds of people polled agreed with the slogan the military pushed during the Han Kuang 42 exercise — protect peace through strength, defend home through action.
• Only about one in five disagreed, and a similar share thought the slogan did not fit the drills well.
• Defense Minister Wellington Koo used the same line to explain why the military is stepping up readiness and deterrence against China.
• The Institute for National Defense and Security Research ran the poll, and warns the harder job is helping people connect the slogan to what the troops actually practiced.
• People who rarely follow military news remain the weak spot — many still do not know why the drills happen or what they involve.

Outlook: Taiwan's military is likely to spend more effort explaining its drills to the public, with China's pressure keeping defense messaging front and center.