Deterring the Dragon: Returning U.S. Forces to Taiwan (Annotated)

Deterring the Dragon: Returning U.S. Forces to Taiwan examines one of the most consequential strategic questions in contemporary Indo-Pacific security: whether an overt U.S. military presence on Taiwan could strengthen deterrence or accelerate crisis. Blending policy analysis, military history, operational assessment, and geopolitical argument, the volume situates Taiwan within the wider context of great-power competition, alliance credibility, and the changing character of maritime and missile warfare. Its significance lies in treating deterrence not as an abstraction, but as a practical problem of posture, signaling, escalation management, and political will. Walker D. Mills, writing from within the professional military tradition of the U.S. Army, brings to the subject a practitioner's concern for feasibility, risk, and strategic consequence. The work aligns with a broader revival of serious defense thinking about forward presence, distributed operations, and the defense of contested littorals. It also participates in ongoing debates over ambiguity, assurance, and coercion in U.S.-China relations, enriching those debates through a grounded appreciation of military realities. This book is recommended for readers seeking a concise yet rigorous entry into the dilemmas surrounding Taiwan's defense. It offers students, policymakers, military professionals, and informed citizens a valuable opportunity to consider competing imperatives within a single focused study: deterrence and provocation, commitment and restraint, operational advantage and political danger. Its educational value rests in the dialogue it fosters between strategy, history, and policy.

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Capt. Walker D. Mills, U.S. Marine Corps, is an infantry officer serving as an exchange officer with the Colombian Marine Corps.