This essay is intended as a modest response to Prof. Hirshleifer's call for research in the “macrotechnology” of conflict. It specifically considers innovations undertaken by the Prussian and British Armies in response to the problems posed by the Napoleonic Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) and the resulting ascendancy of the French Army. For various reasons, the Prussians chose an “emulating” response to the French; the British chose “offsetting.” The discussion following considers the Napoleonic innovations and the two responses, both of which proved effective. As a result, there is support for the view that military innovation is, to a significant extent, a military choice made from a menu of military measures within the context of military-political competition.
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