When Are New Weapons Too Late

M109A6 Paladin howitzers are seen under a cloudy sky at the 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment motor pool at Fort Hood, Texas, March 22, 2013. (Photo by Ken Scar/U.S. Army)

James Hasik, RCD/Atlantic Council: How Late is Too Late for New Weapons?

The Pentagon’s drive for innovation is up against adversaries' efforts to “occupy leading positions” themselves.

Back at the beginning of August, I wrote an essay about how soon was too soon with new weapons. Some historical perspective, I thought, should inform the aims of the Pentagon’s Third Offset strategy. And yet, to focus a moment on a more mundane technology, the US Army has needed a light tank for twenty years. Today, the threat of new Russian tanks in inaccessible corners of Europe strongly suggests an immediate need. The Army is once again seeking ideas from would-be suppliers, and may finally launch a program. But is the Army already too far behind the curve? So here’s another general question about the timing of military innovations in materiel: how late is too late?

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WNU Editor: I am not a fan of the Atlantic Council, but this post is spot on .... especially the last paragraph where the author quotes Russian General Valery Gerasimov. Read it all.