June 13, 2016
Third Offset Strategy and Chinese A2/AD Capabilities
Richard A. Bitzinger, Senior Fellow and Coordinator of the Military Transformations Program at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, examines the feasibilities of the Third Offset Strategy as a countermeasure against China’s growing A2/AD capabilities. Noting the innate advantage of distance China enjoys in contrast to the US, he points to China’s growth in hard and soft A2/AD capabilities as well as in its willingness to use it. Bitzinger questions how new the concepts that comprise the Third Offset Strategy are and, more importantly, how they can be cashed out into effective counter-A2/AD measures in reality. While maintaining the technological edge is critical, he stresses, it is equally imperative to maintain a conventional superiority and physical presence.
The report is available online.
Authors
-
Richard A. Bitzinger
More from CNAS
-
Challenging China’s Bid for App Dominance
Commentary
Social media platforms are emerging as central to China’s efforts to shape the global information architecture....
By Kristine Lee & Karina Barbesino
-
Stories from the Backchannel: Season Two Trailer
Podcast
Now more than ever, Americans are interested in the people working behind the scenes on consequential national security decisions. In Season Two of Stories from the Backchanne...
By Ilan Goldenberg, Richard Fontaine, Susanna V. Blume, Kayla M. Williams, Price B. Floyd, Kurt Campbell & Kara Frederick
-
Defense Strategy for a Post-Trump World
Commentary
In a recent piece warning about an emerging arms race in hypersonic missiles, The New York Times quoted Will Roper, the Air Force’s senior acquisition and technology official,...
By Van Jackson
-
Total Competition
Reports
China’s coercive attempts to wield hegemonic control over the South China Sea threaten the sovereignty of Southeast Asian states and international freedom of the seas, both of...
By Patrick M. Cronin & Ryan Neuhard
