Cold War Offset Strategy, Chip/Technology wars now
Harold Brown, Andrew Marshall, and William Perry were regarded as the principal architects of the Cold War offset strategy implemented from 1975 to 1989. During the Cold War, the USSR was capable of deploying more aircraft, ballistic missiles, tanks, and infantry soldiers than Western forces, giving it numerical superiority in conventional warfare. To counterbalance this quantitative advantage, the United States adopted an offset strategy that focused on technological advancement to achieve superiority. This 1970s technological offset involved the development and integration of digital microprocessors, information technologies, and new sensors stealth into military warfare. The resulting advancements included significant improvements in stealth capabilities, precision strike, battlefield information and communications systems, intelligence systems, positioning and navigation capabilities, and training. The effectiveness of these force multipliers, developed through the offset strategy, was prominently demonstrated during the Gulf War in 1990.
In the 1960s, the US government procured nearly all early integrated circuits from leading semiconductor companies for military and space purposes. By the 1980s, this number had declined to 10–15 percent, and it is now only 2 percent. Today, as a major purchaser of chips, the Apple CEO wields more influence over the industry than any Pentagon official. The semiconductor industry primarily thrives on commercial market applications. With the rise of civil-military fusion of technologies, particularly semiconductors, among major powers, it is no longer feasible to develop technologies for military warfare without achieving superiority in the commercial market.
The current offset strategy employed by leading nations focuses on the development of advanced processors for running AI algorithms, large memory chips for data processing, and finely tuned analog chips for sensing and producing radio waves. In 2017, the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) initiated a new project known as the Electronics Resurgence Initiative. This effort aims to advance the next generation of chip technology with significant military applications. However, it remains to be seen whether such advancements can be achieved without addressing the commercial use cases in the market.
How can countries like India address this gap in building semiconductor fab plants?
Sources:
1. Lifting the Fog of War — Admiral Bill Owens
2. Chip Wars — Chris Millers