Eric Gomez, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, has suggested that Taiwan's strategy of "deterrence" against China should be one of "asymmetric defense." In a commentary piece, Gomez offered strategies for Taiwan to defend itself against China and outlined the role the U.S. could play in supporting Taiwan's defense.
Gomez defines "asymmetric defense," also known as the "porcupine" strategy, as one that "uses large numbers of smaller, less complex capabilities to counter a stronger opponent instead of matching them system‐for‐system." As an example, he cited how this approach could be used when facing a powerful navy such as China's. According to Gomez, Taiwan's strategy should rely on ground missiles and unmanned aircrafts rather than attempting to match China's naval strength.
Adopting this "asymmetric defense" strategy would represent a shift from Taiwan's traditional military buildup when seeking to deter China, Gomez noted. He suggested that Taiwan should prioritize mobile anti-ship and anti-air capabilities, even though these may come with higher costs and might not appear as defensible against the People's Liberation Army.
Furthermore, Gomez proposed that the U.S. should support this shift towards "asymmetric defense." He stated: "Washington should only sell Taiwan asymmetric capabilities from this point forward and support Taiwan’s defense industrial base so it can manufacture more US‐designed weapons and avoid long wait times for US‐made weapons."
According to Focus Taiwan, a Taiwanese diplomat expressed gratitude towards the U.S. government for a recent aid bill which allocates $4.83 billion to Taiwan and other Indo-Pacific allies. The bill received bipartisan support in the Senate but is expected to face challenges in the House due to removed border security measures.
The Cato Institute is a public policy research institute where Gomez serves as a senior fellow with expertise in areas such as U.S. military budget and force posture, along with nuclear capabilities in East Asia.
