How the U.S. Military Chooses What to Bomb

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How does the U.S. military actually choose its targets?

We’ve seen a lot of successful strikes recently in places like Iran, but also the occasional mistake. That raises an important question: how does the United States decide what to target, and what weapon to use to achieve the desired effect?

In this video, I break down the process used by the U.S. military and intelligence community to identify, track, and strike targets. This includes the F3EAD targeting cycle—Find, Fix, Finish, Exploit, Analyze, Disseminate—and how analysts, surveillance systems, legal teams, and commanders work together before a strike is ever authorized.

We’ll also talk about concepts like:

• Collateral Damage Estimation (CDE)

• Positive Identification (PID)

• Weaponeering – choosing the right munition for the job

• Noncombatant Cutoff Values (NCV)

• How data brokers and electronic trails help find targets

• How targeting changes during Large Scale Combat Operations (LSCO)

Then we’ll shift to how targeting works in modern high-intensity war, including the seven phases used to dismantle an enemy’s ability to fight:

1 .Air Defenses

2. Command and Control

3. Sensors and Radars

4. Air Forces and Airfields

5. Long-Range Fires

6. Logistics and Sustainment

7. Maneuver Forces

Finally, we’ll talk about Joint All Domain Operations (JADO) and how modern warfare connects sensors, decision makers, and shooters across air, land, sea, cyber, and space.

War isn’t random. There’s a system behind it.

First the radars go dark.

Then the phones stop working.

Then the missiles stop launching.

And eventually… nobody is answering the phone.

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