Sensing: Evolving from Kill Chain to Kill Web in Target Engagement

As battlefields grow increasingly fragmented and unpredictable, militaries are rethinking how they mobilize to counter evolving threats. The traditional linear model of command and control—where information flows up the chain and decisions come back down—is being replaced by a “kill web” to enable faster, more decisive action.

The kill web consists of an interconnected network of nodes linking layers of the battlefield, with information and command decisions flowing seamlessly in multiple directions. In some ways, the kill web permits the military to operate like a single organism, with units moving and acting in concert against numerous objectives. Operating with greater agility is crucial for countering new threats from decentralized terrorist organizations and state actors employing sophisticated, hybrid warfare tactics.

Sensors are at the core of the kill web, providing critical intelligence that troops need to structure and execute effective responses to significant and evolving threats. They collect an enormous amount of intelligence that troops need for survivability and lethality.

The shift from the kill chain to the more adaptable kill web requires changes in the procurement process. Acquisition and program managers must adapt as they investigate improved defense-sensing technologies and seek to deploy them, ensuring seamless communication.

Their ultimate goal is to build a unified kill web infrastructure integrated with analytics and AI technologies that harness the incredible flow of information that is now available.

Transitioning from Kill Chain to Kill Web

The development of an always-on, networked kill web aims to address weaknesses in the traditional linear “kill chain” concept of operations. It comes to the forefront largely due to the growing influence of non-state adversaries, such as terrorist organizations, that deploy non-traditional, guerilla-like tactics.

The kill chain originated from a different era of warfare, when forces engaged in “face-to-face” conflicts, typically on the ground. Through the kill chain, intelligence moves from front-line forces and sources to senior commanders for analysis and decision. Their orders then move back down the chain, ultimately reaching platoons and squads for implementation and execution, one mission at a time.

Such a model proved effective when adversaries acted more predictably, adhering to various rules of war. But modern conflicts demand new and more flexible and agile approaches across all domains—land, air, sea, and cyberspace.

The kill web offers that alternative: a non-linear, networked approach that unites forces, commanders, and technologies across the battlefield, creating a single platform for real-time intelligence and coordinated action.

Advanced sensing technologies are at the heart of the kill web. Deployed in the right places across the battlefield, they provide information that helps create a common operational picture that’s actionable across the full spectrum of operations.

The kill web is a networked system consisting of sensors, people, weapons systems, and communication tools, all oriented toward evaluating threats and empowering warfighters to act quickly and decisively, particularly in target engagement.

Sensing’s evolution requires the entire DoD enterprise, from the front line to the acquisition organization, to understand the kill web in order to carry out its missions toward greater resilience and agility.

Evolving Role of Sensing Capabilities

Sensors have long been central to military operations. Perhaps the best-known legacy sensing platforms are the radar systems used to identify and track enemy aircraft, ships, and missiles. Miniaturization and lower production costs have helped diversify sensor types and applications well beyond radar, and the emergence of crewless aerial vehicles provides a platform for deploying these sensors to gather intelligence and surveillance information without putting soldiers at risk.

The growth of sensors has also helped turn traditional systems, such as tanks, into mobile ISR platforms. "A tank is no longer just an armored vehicle; it's also an intricate information system," Lauri Almann, co-founder of CybExer Technologies, told Cyber Magazine.

The DoD has been moving toward creating super-networks of sensors for over a decade. One of its earliest ideas was for an “information system architecture” (ISA) to tie sensors together so they could “talk without requiring physical integration,” according to a 2015 article in Army Technology. The vision for the ISA has been for sensors to work dynamically, registering with networks and communicating as forces come into range. “We want these different sensor systems to collaborate instead of working in stove pipes," the Army’s project lead at the time stated.

Since then, the DoD has focused on bringing in diverse types of sensors, delivering new sources of information into the network to avoid silos. Examples used in the kill web include:

• Hyperspectral/multi-spectral imaging sensors, which capture light signatures from materials to detect chemical or biological threats or spot camouflage
• Advanced radar systems with capabilities for tracking multiple targets, which resist enemy jamming and improve enemy recognition and system performance through artificial intelligence
• Acoustic sensors for detecting sound waves and vibrations, which are used in naval and ground operations for identifying enemy deployments and activities
• Cyber sensors, which are for analyzing traffic and other signals over computer networks to detect installations of malware or intrusions from outside parties

The challenge is focusing on interoperability as a core criterion for new sensing technologies. More than just acquiring standalone devices, this requires developing a networked system.

Applications and Challenges for Sensing in the Kill Web

The advent of machine learning as part of the kill web enables militaries to extract and operationalize deeper insights from enemy data, leading to more comprehensively planned missions. Due to enhanced situational awareness, various branches can do their jobs more effectively via improved coordination and collaboration.

For example, a ground force plans a raid to capture or kill a “high-value” target (a case study offered in a March 2023 article by the Naval Warfare Institute). Before the raid, forces can deploy airborne sensors to gather information about enemy posture, offering insights into troop strength, guard positions, communication infrastructure, and power supplies. These details can be fed dynamically to forces on the ground and in the air for the proper application of force while minimizing collateral damage.

Creating, implementing, and sustaining the kill web requires a holistic approach focusing on technology and human factors. Planners must consider issues like training and education and ensure that systems are as user-friendly as possible.

Other important considerations include acquiring and deploying robust network infrastructure, developing secure information-sharing protocols and strategies for sensor placement, and considering power sources for sensors. The kill web is a crucial element of future military operations, but it requires an overall systems engineering mindset.

Build Sensing Technology into the Kill Web with Sumaria Systems

The state of geopolitics is making the battlefield more dangerous than ever. The United States and its allies must develop new operational concepts and capabilities to stay ahead of emerging threats.

A growing approach is the transition from the kill chain to the kill web. To make the right choices, planners and procurement officers alike need experienced industry partners who understand this emerging technology and have the expertise to unify it while keeping the human element at the center.

Sumaria Systems is a reliable and trusted industry partner offering AI services that include advisory, assistance, and advanced analytics. With over forty years of experience, Sumaria has steadily improved its analytic capabilities with AI through research and development. DOD leaders can make rapid, well-informed decisions and gain a competitive edge by expertly leveraging high-quality data, advanced analytics, and AI.