Was the Jeune Ecole an early offset doctrine?

The opening question is whether the Jeune Ecole was an early example of an offset strategy. France sought a cheaper technological answer to British sea power while retaining resources for an army needed on its long land frontiers. That economy-of-force problem made technologies promising inexpensive attacks on costly warships especially attractive. The catch is that a successful innovation rarely remains exclusive: rivals absorb it, copy it, and fold it into conventional military power. French advocacy in lengthy treatises also helped broadcast the idea to other powers.