A retired US Navy admiral says Taiwan can turn its island geography into a real deterrent, a message meant to reassure Taipei but also to push it to do more of the work itself.

• The "porcupine strategy" is a way of fighting, not a shopping list of weapons to buy.
• Taiwan's seas and mountains are the advantage; cheap, plentiful, adaptable gear beats a few expensive systems.
• Real strength comes from trained people, working cyber defenses, reservists who know their jobs, and a society that keeps running when the power goes out.
• US support for Taiwan is described as firm and bipartisan, and reaching beyond arms sales into energy resilience and joint training.
• Separately, Taiwan's own political deadlock — a stalled constitutional court, empty regulator seats, and delayed budgets — is blamed on a system that cannot handle a divided government.

Outlook: Expect more focus on joint planning for a blockade and on drills like Han Kuang, with Taiwan's internal gridlock the bigger near-term drag.