AFDP 3-60, page 6

Air Force Doctrine Publication 3-60, Targeting 3 It is the combined joint (JTL) and restricted target lists (RTL) from multiple combatant commanders (CCDRs) for a specific adversary, maintained by the supported CCDR. The GITL provides a coordination mechanism for the supported CCDR to request effects globally against a specific adversary. This mechanism allows an air component commander in one theater to nominate a target outside their area of responsibility, recognizing that striking that target may be critical to achieving their own commander's objectives. This global perspective is imperative for air component planners, ensuring that the right capabilities are matched against the right targets, regardless of their location. TARGETING IN JOINT ALL-DOMAIN OPERATIONS While all Services rely heavily on integration, joint all-domain integration is fundamental to how Airmen employ airpower within the joint force. Joint all-domain operations (JADO) require the convergence of capabilities from all domains to overwhelm an adversary, presenting them with layered dilemmas at a speed and complexity they cannot match. For the air component, this means the targeting process should include understanding how capabilities employed from the air domain integrate with effects generated from other domains, including space, cyberspace, and the electromagnetic spectrum. The air component should also contribute to the development of targets in other domains, which allow the air component commander to better support the joint force.7 DEFINITIONS, ENTITY TYPES, AND CHARACTERISTICS Personnel involved in the targeting process should use a common, precise language. A shared understanding of fundamental definitions is critical to ensure that intelligence, planning, and operations Airmen are aligned with joint force language. Standard targeting vocabulary revolves around the definition of target, the types of entities that can become targets, and the formal characteristics used to describe targets. A target is defined as an entity (or object) that performs a function for the adversary or enemy and is considered for possible engagement.8 An entity is a facility, individual, virtual feature, equipment, or organization (also known as “FIVE-O”). An object is a digital representation of a real-world physical thing, action, or abstraction that serves as a single point of convergence for intelligence production to facilitate analysis. Object-based production (OBP) is the intelligence community’s framework for organizing and sharing information, relating data from all sources to known objects.9 Neither an entity nor an object are considered a target until they have been vetted (if required) and validated through the target development process. 7 For additional information on JADO in the targeting process, see AFDP 3-0, Operations, and JP 3-0, Appendix D, Fundamentals of Joint All-Domain Operations. 8 Joint doctrine removed the word “object” from the definition of “target” during the 2024 update to JP 3-60, Joint Targeting. The Air Force retains the word “object” due to the importance of object-based processes, such as OBP and object-based intelligence, which feed the targeting process. 9 See JP 2-0, Joint Intelligence, for additional information.