Taiwan's defense readiness is being called incomplete — buying weapons is not enough without training, power, and a resilient society, which is a warning for Taipei but a clear roadmap too.

• A retired US Navy four-star admiral, James Ellis of Stanford's Hoover Institution, says the "porcupine strategy" is a way of fighting that must be drilled, not a shopping list.
• The real question is no longer whether warships arrive, but whether the lights stay on, the networks hold, and sensors keep working under attack.
• Energy is now part of defense: longer natural gas reserves, spread-out import terminals, grid cyber defense, and Taiwan's move to restart two nuclear plants.
• US support stays strong across both parties, but the partnership should widen beyond arms sales to blockade planning, grid hardening, and joint drills with Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines.
• Former Australian foreign minister Marise Payne warns that governments which demand obedience without explaining the risks pay a heavy price.

Outlook: Expect Taiwan to keep folding anti-blockade drills and energy resilience into its defense planning, with more joint work alongside regional partners.