Proliferation of new technology has allowed United States’ competitors to field capabilities that erode our military’s technological advantage. The high cost of some U.S. systems threatens our ability to maintain a quantitative advantage. Like the first two “Offset” strategies, the Third Offset will leverage emerging technology, but is driven by economic necessity. It focuses heavily on autonomy, man-machine teaming, and machine learning, but it doesn’t stop there. The Department of Defense is looking across the technology spectrum for innovative ways to harness new technologies and combine them with tactics, techniques, and strategies to maintain a pacing edge over our adversaries.

The Challenge

Predict the emerging and disruptive technologies that will be game changers

  • Describe how those technologies will be used by the US military–or against it
  • Discuss practical approaches for fielding and wielding emerging and disruptivetechnologies rapidly, and getting them into the hands of warfighters 
First Prize: $5,000
Second Prize: $2,500
Third Prize: $1,500

Deadline

28 February 2018

Word Length

3,000 Words 

Selected Submissions

PRIZE
TITLE
NAME
First Prize
Lieutenant (junior grade) Mark K. Jbeily, U.S. Navy
Second Prize
Michael Ravnitzky
Third Prize
Lieutenant Commander Jacob Wilson, U.S. Navy
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Previous Winners