In Kill Chain, Christian Brose presents a stark and compelling narrative about the future of American defense in the face of high-tech warfare. As a former staff director of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Brose brings a wealth of experience and insight to the discussion of the United States’ preparedness—or lack thereof—for the next generation of conflict. The book is a critical examination of the current state of the U.S. military’s technological capabilities and a sobering warning about the consequences of Chinese theft of U.S. technology.
The central premise of Kill Chain is the concept of the kill chain itself—the process by which military forces understand what is happening, decide what to do, and take action to achieve their objectives. Brose argues that the U.S. military’s kill chain has become outdated and vulnerable, particularly in the face of China’s ongoing unrestricted warfare against the U.S. This unrestricted warfare, as Brose and other experts have noted, includes a wide range of tactics from cyber espionage to intellectual property theft, aimed at undermining the U.S. military’s technological edge.
Brose’s analysis is grounded in the reality that the U.S. has failed to keep pace with the rapid advancements in technology that are defining modern warfare. He points to the contrast between the innovative spirit of Silicon Valley and the sluggish, bureaucratic processes that hamper the Pentagon’s ability to adopt new technologies. This gap, Brose warns, has left the U.S. vulnerable to adversaries like China, who are stealing U.S. defense secrets and rapidly integrating them into their own military capabilities.
The implications of this technological theft are far-reaching for the U.S. and its Five Eyes (FVEY) allies. The collective defense capabilities and technological cooperation that underpin the FVEY alliance are at risk of being compromised by Chinese espionage. Brose emphasizes that the theft of U.S. military technology not only erodes the U.S.’s strategic advantage but also impacts the defense community’s ability to prepare for and respond to conflicts with China.
Kill Chain also delves into the concept of China’s unrestricted warfare, which includes a multi-pronged approach targeting the U.S. economy, national security, and technological supremacy. Brose highlights the need for a U.S. global response, led by Special Operations Command, to counter the irregular warfare being waged by China. He suggests that the U.S. must adopt a more dynamic kill chain, leveraging networks of smaller, low-cost machines directed by intelligent systems to maintain parity and deterrence.
For the defense counterintelligence community, Kill Chain serves as a wake-up call to the urgent need for reform. Brose’s insights into the kill chain’s vulnerabilities underscore the necessity for a defense strategy that is adaptive, resilient, and forward-looking. The book advocates for a defense posture that is not just reactive but also proactive, one that can anticipate and counter the multifaceted threats posed by China’s strategic ambitions.
Christian Brose’s Kill Chain is an essential read for anyone involved in national security and defense policy. It provides a detailed account of the challenges facing the U.S. military in an era of high-tech warfare and offers a roadmap for how to address these challenges. The book is a compelling argument for the need to transform the U.S. military’s kill chain to defend against the ongoing unrestricted warfare waged by China. For the U.S. and FVEY defense community, Kill Chain is not just a book—it’s a call to action to protect the technological superiority that has long been a cornerstone of their defense strategy. As the threat landscape evolves, so too must the strategies employed to safeguard our national security in an increasingly contested global arena.
