The Third Offset Strategy: Lessons from the New Look
Abstract
On September 3 2014, then-Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel directed the development of a Third Offset Strategy. Hagel asked the DoD to develop new ways for conducting military operations to combat a myriad of cheap technological advances which threaten the militarys technological primacy. The first offset strategy, most frequently referred to as The New Look, began shortly after President Dwight Eisenhower took office in 1953. Project Solarium provided the basis of the strategy by examining three courses of action for defeating the Soviet Union. The Second Offset Strategy was launched during the 1970s and sought a technological solution to the enormous quantity of Soviet armored forces threatening Europe without immediately resorting to a nuclear exchange. Comparing The New Look to the Third Offset Strategy reveals that the current effort is not a true offset strategy because it does not address a specific adversary, but is instead focused on technological advancement. DoD officials must cede the fact that a Third Offset Strategy will not offer perfect solutions for combatting every adversary and that this approach will inevitably lead to assuming greater risk against lesser adversaries. In its current state, the title defense innovation initiative is more apropos.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 25, 2016
- Accession Number
- AD1176168
Entities
People
- Gregory Kantz
Organizations
- Marine Corps University