Pentagon Will Team Humans, Machines to Deter Enemies

The Pentagon is moving toward pairing humans with machines for faster, smarter decision-making in an effort to deter nations such as Russia and China from conventional attacks, Defense One reports.

It's a plan being called the "third offset" and is being headed up by Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work.

The "offset" concept is designed to counter any technology advances made by an enemy.

"The whole purpose is to convince them never to try to cross swords with us conventionally," Work told Defense One.

Among the "third offset" plans:

• F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which doesn't maneuver as quickly as older fighter jets, it's technology is lightning-fast at analyzing data and displaying in the pilot's helmet.
• "Assisted human operations" and wearable electronics, which provide access to combat apps for troops in the field.

The move was accelerated by Russian saber rattling earlier this year, but Work says the plan isn't intended to make Russia an enemy.

When then-Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced the strategy a year ago, James Jay Carafano, writing at The Heritage Foundation, wasn't impressed, labeling what he saw as non-existent technology as "fairy dust."

"It’s no surprise that, after a half-decade of decline in American military capabilities, Hagel felt the need to promise a ready solution," Carafano wrote.

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