Scale, Scope, Speed & Survivability: Winning the Kill Chain Competition

Abstract：“Kill chain” describes the process militaries use to attack targets in the battlespace. The kill chain can be broken down into specific steps—find, fix, track, target, engage, and assess—that enable planners to build and task forces for combat operations. The U.S. military has long relied upon its superior ability to rapidly close kill chains against adversaries. This advantage is now at risk. China has developed countermeasures to obstruct or collapse U.S. kill chains, which could lead to combat failures that have devastating, long-term consequences for the security of the United States and its allies and partners.