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Why Skill/2 as GURPS defense?
I agree, Parry (or Block) could be made techniques under FEND. It'd be as simple to implement as any other existing technique. But there'd be two downsides:
1) The problem of very high defenses, as you note. There should definitely be a cap, such as Skill -2 – but wherever the cap is set, the result is still a BIG defense bonus for a very minor point cost.
2) Parry/Block is arguably a "core" ability of a melee skill, on par with attacking. Thus, if attacking remains disallowed as a technique under FEND, Parry/Block should remain disallowed under it as well.
Down side of FEND is that the percent chance of defending goes up VERY quickly with skill, as you're walking up the bell curve twice as quickly as with the 3+Skill/2 method.
Right. As for whether or not that's bad, I'll only note that ALL other uses of skills in the game follow precisely that connection between skill level and chance of success. It's somewhat too bad that defenses, and defenses alone, need to follow a separate scheme!
Incidentally, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Steve Jackson himself started his GURPS/Man-To-Man designing (almost 30 years ago now?) with defenses rolled vs skill, as with any other use of skill. Assuming so, it'd be interesting to find out whether he tried or at least considered a FEND-like penalty too, to rein in what's clearly otherwise too high a chance of successfully defending.
Likewise, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that he did try something like FEND, and rejected it (probably wisely so!) in favor of the Skill/2 method, for overall better game play. But I'm just musing. And whatever the official design reasons for Skill/2, it's fun to try out FEND as an alternative.