The Role of Offset Strategies in Restoring Conventional Deterrence
by Octavian Manea
Journal Article | January 4, 2018 - 12:12am
Octavian Manea
SWJ interview with Robert O. Work, the 31st Deputy Secretary of Defense.
Usually when we are talking about the Cold War, the first thing that we think in terms of a strategic framework is containment. But what has been the role the offset strategies played in the broader Cold War competition? In 1997, William Perry made an interesting observation that I think is worth reflecting on: “these strategies, containment, deterrence and offset strategy were the components of a broad holding strategy during the Cold War. I call it a holding strategy because it did not change the geopolitical conditions which led to the Cold War, but it did deter another World War and it did stem Soviet expansion in the world until the internal contradictions in the Soviet system finally caused the Soviet Union to collapse. The holding strategy worked.â€
http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/the-role-of-offset-strategies-in-restoring-conventional-deterrence
