Assessing the Third Offset Strategy
Progress and Prospects for Defense Innovation
On October 28, 2016, the Center for Strategic and International Studies hosted a day long conference examining the Third Offset Strategy. The U.S. faces a global security environment in which its traditional conventional military advantage is eroding. Over the past thirty years, revolutions in networks and precision weapons cemented U.S. conventional dominance. The Third Offset Strategy is a Department of Defense initiative that seeks to identify the next generation of concepts and capabilities necessary to guarantee U.S. military superiority in the coming decades.
The conference featured remarks from Secretary Carter, Deputy Secretary Work, and other US government officials, together with allied and non-governmental experts. The proceedings addressed the global context for the Third Offset Strategy, its focus and progress, and its challenges.
Conference Agenda:
7:00-8:00 a.m. Registration and Coffee
8:00-9:00 a.m. Opening Plenary: Defining the Offset Strategy
Robert Work
Deputy Secretary of Defense
Stephanie O’Sullivan
Principal Deputy Director for National Intelligence
General Paul Selva, USAF
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Moderator:
Dr. Kathleen Hicks
Former Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and
Director, International Security Program
Center for Strategic and International Studies
9:05-10:00 a.m. Keynote Address: The Path to the Innovative Future of Defense
Ash Carter
Secretary of Defense
Moderator:
Dr. John Hamre
Former Deputy Secretary of Defense and
President and CEO
Center for Strategic and International Studies
10:00-10:30 a.m. Coffee Break
10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Morning Breakout Sessions
I. Offset for What? US Strategy for Great Powers, Chaos Makers, and Global Cross-Currents
Sir Lawrence Freedman
Emeritus Professor of War Studies
King's College London
Dr. David Kilcullen
Founder and Chairman
Caerus Global Solutions
Dr. Barry Posen
Ford International Professor of Political Science and
Director of the Security Studies Program
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Dr. Kori Schake
Research Fellow
Hoover Institution, Stanford University
Moderator:
James Baker
Director of the Office of Net Assessment
II. Leveraging U.S. Defense Industry and Beyond
Shahar Abuhazira
CEO
Roboteam Inc.
Leanne Caret
President and CEO
Boeing Defense, Space & Security
Pierre Chao
Founding Partner, Renaissance Strategic Advisors and
Managing Partner, Enlightenment Capital
Dr. Arati Prabhakar
Director
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
Frank Kendall
Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics
Moderator:
Andrew Hunter
Former Director, Joint Rapid Acquisition Cell and
Director, Defense Industrial Initiatives Group
Center for Strategic and International Studies
12:00 p.m.-12:45 p.m. Lunch
12:45-2:00 p.m. Afternoon Breakout Sessions
I. Innovating Together: The Role of Allies and Partners
Øystein Bø
Secretary of State for the Norwegian Ministry of Defense
Dr. Janine Davidson
Undersecretary of the Navy
General Sir Gordon Messenger, RM
Vice Chief of the Defence Staff
UK Ministry of Defence
Andrew Shearer
Former Australian National Security Adviser and
Senior Adviser
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Moderator:
Dr. Michael Green
Former Senior Director for Asia, National Security Council and
Senior Vice President for Asia and Japan Chair
Center for Strategic and International Studies
II. From Cyber to Sub-surface: Key Operational Challenges for Innovators
Rear Admiral Michael Manazir, USN
Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfare Systems
U.S. Navy
Major General Walter Piatt, USA
Deputy Director for Operations
U.S. Army Rapid Capabilities Office
Lieutenant General Robert Schmidle, USMC, Ret.
Former Principal Deputy Director
Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation
Brigadier General Brian Killough, USAF
Director of Strategy, Concepts, and Assessments
Strategic Plans and Requirements, U.S. Air Force
Moderator:
Mackenzie Eaglen
Resident Fellow
American Enterprise Institute
2:15 – 3:30 p.m. Closing Plenary Session: New Perspectives on Defense Innovation and Third Offset
Su Jin Chang
Principal, Center for Acquisition Management Sciences (CAMS)
The MITRE Corporation
Pete Newell
Visiting Senior Research Fellow
Center for Technology and National Security Policy
National Defense University
Dr. Will Roper
Director
Strategic Capabilities Office
Dr. Peter W. Singer
Strategist and Senior Fellow
New America
Moderator:
Patrick Tucker
Technology Editor, Defense One
This event is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense.
Featuring
CSIS Experts
