Which concept involves progressively increasing the volume of fire on a threat as it nears a defended asset?

• A. Keep-Out Range
• B. Resilience
• C. Defense in Depth
• D. Operations to Shape

Answer: (C)

Defense in depth is the approach of spreading defense across multiple layers so that as a threat closes toward the asset, you progressively commit more and closer fire. Outer layers engage first, using longer-range measures, and as the threat nears, firepower becomes more concentrated and decisive, increasing the chance to stop the threat before it reaches the asset. This layered, escalating defense creates redundancy and higher kill probability by the time the attacker gets near the defended asset.

Keep-out range focuses on keeping threats at a minimum distance, not on escalating fire as they approach. Resilience is about absorbing damage and continuing mission, not about firing more as a threat nears. Operations to shape is about influencing the adversary’s behavior and the battlespace, not the progressive intensification of fire near the asset.