"This third offset … is really focused on the advanced capabilities that Russia and China can bring to bear," the Defense One website quoted Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work as saying. "The whole purpose is to convince them never to try to cross swords with us conventionally."
To a certain extent, robotics and smart unmanned military hardware is already a feature of modern warfare — think of drones or next-generation fighter jets. The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, according to the official, is one such machine.
Work referred to the F-35 as a "flying sensor computer," not merely a fighter plane.
Nevertheless, Work believes that the F-35 and other smart machines will be a game changer and a war winner.
The US defense agency wants to take technology even further. "I'm telling you right now, 10 years from now, if the first person through a breach isn't a fricken robot, shame on us," Work noted.