Which targeting objective is described as a temporary degradation of enemy performance?

• A. Delay
• B. Suppress
• C. Destroy
• D. Neutralize

Answer: (B)

Suppression aims to temporarily degrade the enemy’s combat effectiveness by forcing them to avoid exposure, remain in cover, or pull back from observing and firing, even though the enemy remains in the fight. The key idea is a temporary reduction in how well they can operate: they’re present and a threat, but they can’t act as effectively as they could before the suppression started.

In practice, suppression is produced by sustained or accurate fires that disrupt the enemy’s ability to see, move, or respond, allowing friendly forces to maneuver or maneuver into a safer position. This differs from delaying, which focuses on slowing the enemy’s tempo rather than directly reducing their fighting capability; destroying, which would permanently remove the enemy’s ability to fight; and neutralizing, which is about rendering a target incapable of performing its mission, potentially for a period but not specifically framed as a temporary degradation of overall performance.