What are the two means of accomplishing SEAD?

• A. Stealth and overt
• B. Area denial and counterair
• C. Destructive and Disruptive
• D. Active and Passive

Answer: (C)

SEAD is about reducing the enemy’s ability to defend the airspace so friendly aircraft can operate with less threat. There are two broad ways to achieve this: destructive and disruptive.

Destructive SEAD involves physically neutralizing the air‑defense system. This means destroying or severely degrading the sensors, shooters, and their command and control nodes—radars, surface-to-air missile launchers, and associated networks. The goal is to remove the capability at its source, creating a lasting relief from pressure for friendly air operations.

Disruptive SEAD, on the other hand, reduces the effectiveness of the air-defense system without permanently eliminating it. This is accomplished through electronic warfare and deception—jamming or spoofing radar and communications, misleading enemy C2, using decoys or feints, and spreading the defenses’ resources thin through mobility and rapid redeployment. The system remains potentially operable, but its performance, coordination, and decision cycles are degraded, creating openings for friendly aircraft.

The other options don’t describe this established split. Stealth and overt describe how forces might approach operations, not the means of SEAD. Area denial and counterair refer to broader strategic objectives, not the two methods SEAD employs. Active and passive describe modes of sensing or protection, not the SEAD approaches themselves.