Time-Critical Targeting: Predictive Versus Reactionary Methods: An Analysis for the Future

摘要

Experiences in Operations Desert Storm and Allied Force highlighted a significant weakness in the USAF's ability to engage time-critical targets. The weakness stems from airpower's inability to employ force quickly and kill an emerging target before it disappears back into hiding. USAF's engagement sequence, called the kill chain, is not fast enough to detect, locate, identify, and engage the target. Experience shows that the enemy has used this method of emerging, engaging, and dispersing since the beginning of time, and because it is still effective, the enemy has little reason to change.