Sat, Feb 28, 2026 page1

• Taiwan should adopt ‘hellscape’ strategy: think tank

  OTHER OPTIONS: Given possible US intervention and Taiwanese counterattacks, China might opt to blockade Taiwan or take its outlying islands instead of an all-out invasion

  • Staff writer, with CNA, WASHINGTON
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  A US think tank has urged Taiwan to adopt a “hellscape” strategy that would flood the Taiwan Strait with drones and other uncrewed systems to deter invasion by China.

  In its report, Hellscape for Taiwan, published on Thursday, the Center for a New American Security said Taipei’s asymmetric defense approach — often described as a “porcupine strategy” — needs to evolve to keep pace with the growing capabilities of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.

  The “hellscape” strategy involves saturating the air and waters around Taiwan with thousands of drones and other platforms capable of striking invading forces from multiple domains at once.

  

  A solider releases a drone during a military exercise outside a naval base in Kaohsiung on Jan. 29.

  Photo: An Rong Xu, Bloomberg

  Long-range aerial, surface and undersea drones would target Chinese ships and aircraft well before they reach Taiwan’s shores, it said.

  As invaders move closer, mines, loitering munitions and short-range systems would disrupt, weaken and kill forces attempting amphibious landings, the report said.

  The goal is to deny China air and sea superiority, and to impose such heavy losses that an invasion would become prohibitively costly, it said.

  Taiwan must be prepared to defend itself even in the early stages of a cross-strait conflict, when outside assistance could be delayed or contested, it added.

  Rather than relying primarily on high-end, limited platforms such as advanced fighter jets or large surface ships, the hellscape concept emphasizes quantity, dispersion and resilience, the report said.

  The report called for mass production of affordable drones — including “long-range strike systems” and “first-person-view attack drones” — that could operate in contested communications environments.

  It also recommended building domestic manufacturing capacity and integrating uncrewed systems into a doctrine that links sensors, shooters and command networks.

  Although China has rapidly modernized its navy, air force and missile forces over the past two decades, significant uncertainties remain about its ability to execute and sustain a large-scale operation, especially in the face of Taiwanese counterattacks and possible US intervention, the report said.

  Taiwan’s government has plans consistent with the report’s recommendations regarding drones.

  As part of a proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) special defense budget, Taiwan wants to purchase more than 200,000 uncrewed aerial vehicles and more than 1,000 uncrewed surface vehicles, many of them produced domestically.

  The report outlined several scenarios China might consider instead of an immediate, all-out invasion.

  One option was a blockade to choke off Taiwan’s trade and energy supplies, pressuring the government into political concessions without a risky amphibious assault.

  Another possibility was a limited operation to take Taiwan’s outlying islands, testing international resolve while avoiding the enormous costs of invading Taiwan proper.

  A full invasion would likely only happen if Chinese leaders assessed that peaceful unification was no longer plausible and that military conditions — including readiness, logistics and deterrence of outside powers — were favorable, the report said.
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