…the United States could greatly enhance deterrence of China by working with Taiwanese authorities to rapidly foster porcupine capabilities. If implemented, such efforts could help to stymie China's ability to invade Taiwan, preventing an outcome that would be disastrous for Taiwan, the United States, and the entire world.
Posted by Steve____Stifler
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>The second is that only Taiwan can implement the porcupine approach. Such efforts depend on Taiwanese commands and agencies wanting to undertake them. The United States should collaborate with Taiwanese counterparts on this, but the United States needs to acknowledge that only Taiwan has the authority to perform these actions in its own territory.
And here is the crux of the issue. For the last decade or so, neither the Taiwanese electorate or DPP government see particularly invested in increasing recruitment or conscription. Taipei seems focused on buying big ticket items (for which there is already a years long multibillion dollar backlog from the US) while the ROCA has been struggling to man and maintain their existing inventories of cold war era equipment.