JP 3-60, page 96
Joint Targeting
Joint Publication: Joint Targeting
31 January 2013 public edition
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Appendix B
B-2
JP 3-60
communities each present unique challenges to establishing a common targeting capability
that can serve the needs of all these communities and their “customers.” Currently, many
parts of the targeting process are automated, although no one single tool automates the entire
process. The process of targeting occurs on many levels and in many locations
simultaneously, yet no single interoperable solution has emerged or been established. To
serve such a diverse and distributed client base, targeting automation must conduct efficient
bidirectional data flow among intelligence centers, users of both classified and unclassified
computer systems, multinational partners, targeting tools, and, most significantly, support
data exchange and interoperability. To extend the targeting enterprise to the edge user base,
targeting automation must also be able to accommodate producers and consumers of
information on low bandwidth, message-based environments. The following sections detail
considerations associated with automating elements of joint targeting:
(1) End State and Commander’s Objectives. During contingency planning,
combatant commands typically provide objectives, guidance, desired effects, and intent to
their staff and subordinate forces. Targeteers and intelligence analysts then select the
appropriate target sets and map them electronically to the supported objective(s). In this
phase, targeteers search for targets in databases (e.g., the modernized integrated database
[MIDB]) and portals via manual and automated searches.
(2) Entity Identifiers. Entity identifiers are a unique alphanumeric convention that
can be assigned to entities for the purposes of unique identification. One example of an
entity identifier is the widely recognized basic encyclopedia (BE) numbering system.
Currently, many C2 systems can accommodate current standards for target numbering (BEs,
unit identifiers, candidate target identifiers, etc.) as defined by DIA and the IC.
(3) Target Development and Prioritization. To fully develop targets, targeteers
access web-based intelligence repositories to perform in-depth research and target
development. Where sufficient information is not already available, intelligence analysts
submit requests for information and collection requirements to fill these gaps in non-TST
situations.
(a) Target Systems Analysis. In order to understand the roles particular
targets play within a system, targeteers conduct TSA to model the existence of broader,
functionally-related target systems. Automation is often used to record the structure of target
systems and model various functional impacts on them. Automated models are also used to
study the cascading effects and coupling of target systems to show how they could affect one
another (e.g., the effect of dropping the electrical grid on POL production).
(b) Electronic Target Folders. Targeteers normally use web-based services
to create an ETF for each target. The ETF web-service acts as both a production interface to
intelligence databases (e.g., MIDB) and as a means for users to query for produced ETFs. It
is important to ensure that ETF data is duplicated across networks to ensure widest
dissemination. Using the electronic identification as a query input, consumers request ETFs,
which are compiled dynamically via the ETF web-service employing data pulls from
community databases, and image repositories. Standardized metadata recognized across the
intelligence and joint fires community should be used to facilitate the automated exchange of