The concept of "decapitation" in modern warfare was put forward by British military theorist Fuller. In the late World War I, he proposed a "paralysis attack" with the primary goal of attacking the enemy's command system, also known as "decapitation attack".

"Catch the thief first, then the king, and hit the snake seven inches", which vividly embodies this idea. Some information warfare experts in the United States believe that information warfare should follow the principle of "decapitation", especially when the United States engages in information warfare with developing countries.

The so-called "decapitation" means hitting "the enemy's head, not his body." This principle requires: in war, first attack the enemy's state command organs, joint staff, theater headquarters and army headquarters at all levels; Destroy all enemy information media-telephone, radio spectrum, cables and other means of transmission; Prevent the enemy from using communication systems of third parties, including communication satellites.

In a war, as a large system, the war opponent usually consists of five links:

"Command and leadership ring", that is, the command system; "organic necessities ring", that is, related industries such as electricity, as well as ammunition and food; "infrastructure ring", that is, infrastructure such as traffic routes; "individual group ring", that is, population; "Field forces circle" means to protect the internal links of one's own system and attack the links of enemy systems.

According to the principle of information warfare, the weakest link among these five links is the first link. Its function and composition determine that it is the key point with the densest intelligence, technology and information in the whole combat system, but it is also the weakest link in combat capability and self-protection, so it has always been the first choice pursued by military strategists.