Hellscape Taiwan: Drones, Deterrence, and the Future of Asymmetric Defense

About this episode

The episode discusses Taiwan's potential strategies to deter a Chinese invasion using drones and asymmetric defense tactics.

This week’s episode of the Irregular Warfare Podcast examines how Taiwan could deter—or potentially defeat—a Chinese invasion by transforming the Taiwan Strait into an “unmanned hellscape.” Anchored in the recent CNAS report Hellscape for Taiwan: Rethinking Asymmetric Defense, the conversation explores how drones, autonomous systems, and mobile defenses are reshaping warfare in the Indo-Pacific. Drawing from lessons in Ukraine, the guests argue that cheap, expendable drones offer Taiwan a way to strengthen its longstanding “porcupine strategy” by imposing massive costs on a PLA invasion force during the dangerous amphibious crossing of the Taiwan Strait. The episode also explores how Taiwan’s geography favors the defender if leveraged correctly. Narrow beaches, mountainous terrain, dense urban areas, and the roughly 100-mile Strait create opportunities for a layered defense built around mines, kamikaze drones, mobile air defenses, and uncrewed maritime systems. At the same time, the guests assess the political and organizational barriers Taiwan faces in implementing a truly asymmetric strategy, arguing that the island’s security may depend less on high-end prestige platforms and…

People in this episode

Guest: Rear Admiral (Ret.) Mark Montgomery

Topics covered

• Taiwan defense strategy
• drones
• asymmetric warfare
• Indo-Pacific security
• Chinese military threat
• autonomous systems

Keywords

• Taiwan
• drones
• asymmetric defense
• Chinese invasion
• Indo-Pacific
• military strategy
• autonomous systems
• porcupine strategy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Foundation for Defense of Democracies, CNAS

Books & works: Hellscape for Taiwan: Rethinking Asymmetric Defense

Places: Taiwan, China, Taiwan Strait, Indo-Pacific

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