Harrington leaned forward as he spoke. “I know this sounds like a lot, and technically it is, Mr. President. But one of the key lessons we learned from the Russo-Ukraine War was the necessity to pre-position as many weapons as possible before the war starts. Unlike Ukraine, which shares a land border with multiple NATO countries, Taiwan is surrounded by the sea. And it’s a sea that is going to be brimming with PLA surface and subsurface warships. Should hostilities begin, we won’t have the luxury of bringing in outside supplies when we run low. We’ll have what we have on hand, and that’s likely all we’re going to have.”
NSB Director Chao nodded in acknowledgment. He adjusted his glasses, then said, “The coordination requirements for all of these systems is going to be challenging—”
“Yes, it is,” Mitchell answered before Chao could finish. “And one of the biggest challenges we’ll have to overcome at the outset is the initial saturation barrage of one-way kamikaze drones, ballistic and cruise missiles and aircraft. This isn’t something that can easily be handled by human operators. It’s why we’ve spent a lot of time and effort creating OrchidNet, an AI battle manager that will sync the distributed defensive nodes between your Air Force’s air and missile defense and the new systems we’re providing.
“I know it can feel scary to trust an AI-controlled battle manager. But the fact is no human operator or team of operators is going to be able to identify, track, and then prosecute the kind of saturation barrage the mainland is going to fire at Taiwan. The difference between surviving and defeating the enemy in the first hours and days of this attack will be determined by the side that employs and utilizes the best AI system. If that’s us, via OrchidNet, then I firmly believe we will deter the mainland from launching a ground invasion. If we fail, if the enemy succeeds in overwhelming us, then we’ll fight them block by block once they’re ashore.”
Admiral Han set down his pencil. “I have to admit, I’m impressed. This isn’t just material support to hurt the mainland. This is a complete defensive ecosystem.”
“It is. And as you have shared with us in prior meetings. The enemy will try to overwhelm us with their drone swarms. That’s why we’ve included one hundred twenty Leonidas-III high-power microwave systems to the package,” Harrington added. “These can be vehicle- or static-mounted and hard-kill a drone’s electronics from a kilometer away, degrading its sensors and controls at three. But here’s the thing — all this hardware needs trained operators. That’s where the four hundred and eighty additional contractors we’ve brought over come into play.”
President Ma stood, pacing to the window. Outside, mist swirled through ancient pines. “Show me a deployment concept.”
The display transformed into Taiwan’s geography and Mitchell overlaid defensive zones with the various weapon systems.
“Sea Guardians and Water Prisons here” — blue fields appeared in the strait — “covering primary approach routes. The Hammer Sharks and Seeker units patrol these sectors.”
He gestured, and icons scattered across the coastline. “Zealot boats based at fishing ports. They’ll blend with commercial traffic until activation. Feiying scouts will provide early warning.”
“The Penghu archipelago?” Wu asked.
“We turn it into a fortress. Patriot batteries here and here. Roadrunners in pop-up positions. Leonidas systems covering the beaches.”
“Kinmen and Matsu?” Ma asked without turning.
“Minimal deployment if that,” Chao interjected firmly. “Those islands are intelligence traps. Any system we place there—”
“Becomes a gift to the PLA,” Mitchell finished. “Correct. Tony Soprano had it right — ‘Those who want respect, give respect.’ We respect their ability to probe those positions.”
Ma turned back. “Your contractors. Six hundred men. How do they integrate into all of this?”
Mitchell’s expression sobered. “We embed with your units. Ten-man teams with each Patriot battery. Twenty operators per Seeker squadron. Fifty maintaining the Pulsar suites.”
“Combat roles?” Wu pressed.
“When it goes loud?” Mitchell’s jaw tightened. “We’re wherever the metal meets the meat. But our primary mission is keeping these systems operational under fire.”
“Think of us as force multipliers,” Harrington emphasized. “In special forces, we have a saying: ‘by, with, and through our allies.’ Just one TSG operator can manage twenty autonomous platforms. That’s the equivalent of twelve thousand additional combatants.”
The math hung in the air — six hundred men becoming an army through technology.
“Huh… and the timeline to make this all happen?” Kao asked.
“Most of this equipment is already loaded on ships and on the way. The first deliveries hit Kaohsiung in two weeks,” Mitchell said. “We expect full deployment by May first. We’ll run your crews through certification of the systems as they arrive.”
President Ma returned to the table. “This is a big delivery. The mainland is bound to see these preparations. They’ll know what’s happening.”
“Good. Let them,” Mitchell replied. “That’s the whole point. Deterrence through demonstrated capability. They need to see what they are facing and decide it’s not worth it. We nut this place up, turn it into a porcupine they won’t want to bite, and if they do, we sting ’em hard.”
President Ma nodded. “And if deterrence fails?”
Mitchell leaned back. “Then we give them what Colonel Kurtz promised in Apocalypse Now: ‘Horror has a face, and you must make a friend of horror.’”
This time, no one smiled at the movie quote.
Ma looked at his defenders. “Admiral Han — naval integration?” he asked.
“The autonomous submarines change everything,” Han said slowly. “Forty-eight platforms with nearly six hundred torpedoes… good night. All of that combined with smart mines…” He shook his head. “We’re going to turn the straits into a killing field.”
“General Wu, thoughts?” President Ma Ching-te asked.
“Oh, my Marines can work with this.” Wu’s eyes gleamed. “Feiying scouts feeding targeting to shore-based Barracudas, Zealot boats screening our flanks — we could hold Penghu indefinitely, and keep them from establishing a beachhead with those bridging barges they’ve been training on.”
“And how about you, Director Chao? What say you?” Ma stared at his chief spy.
The intelligence chief removed his glasses, cleaning them thoughtfully. “The electronic warfare suites interest me. Twenty Pulsars could create dead zones where their command networks fail.”
“I agree, Director,” Ma replied, then turned to his defense minister. “Thoughts, Minister Kao?”
She closed the funding document, then looked him in the eyes. “With ten Patriot batteries plus three thousand interceptors, we could maintain air defense even under saturation attacks.”
Ma absorbed their assessments. Each saw possibilities through their professional lens. But he saw the larger picture — a small island becoming a fortress, protected by silicon and steel rather than flesh alone.
“One concern,” Ma said finally. “These systems — they’re American. If Washington’s political winds shift…”
“Ah, well, that’s why we’re training your people,” Harrington said firmly. “It’ll be a full technology transfer. Your engineers will learn maintenance, and your operators will learn tactics. In twelve months, you’ll be self-sufficient.”