26 July 2026

Intelligence Support to Over-the-Horizon Targeting in Contested Environments

Small Wars Journal | Eric Zimmerman

United States military forces face a widening sensor-to-shooter gap in large-scale combat operations due to adversary electronic warfare capabilities that deny GPS, position-navigation-timing, and communications. This degradation severely impacts over-the-horizon targeting accuracy, threatening the joint force's ability to execute deep strikes against high-value targets in contested environments.

To mitigate these vulnerabilities, rear-area intelligence cells must transition from centralized, sanctuary-based architectures to decentralized, redundant networks. Integrating artificial intelligence tools and leveraging commercial satellite constellations like Starlink, which currently has over 10,000 active satellites, can significantly reduce latency in the targeting cycle. Furthermore, establishing conditional direct links to supported units and streamlining secure information sharing with international allies will enhance coalition interoperability. Ultimately, pushing fires decision authority to the lowest practical level, implementing strict intelligence handover lines, and adopting resilient hybrid space architectures are critical to maintaining the tactical initiative against sophisticated adversaries.

Comment
The reliance of Joint Publication 3-60 targeting methodologies on sanctuary-based processing nodes exposes a fundamental vulnerability in high-intensity electromagnetic environments. When Distributed Common Ground System cells in the continental United States are severed from forward tactical units by electronic jamming, the traditional linear targeting cycle collapses. This friction reveals that current joint doctrine fails to reconcile the speed of long-range precision effectors with the latency of remote intelligence fusion. Consequently, the operational utility of deep-strike assets remains tethered to vulnerable space-based transit paths rather than decentralised, local delegation.

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