Mathematically Modeling Terrorist Cells: Examining the Strength of Structures of Small Sizes

Abstract

This paper aims to discuss the strengths of different terrorist cell structures, using the partially ordered set (“poset”) model of terrorist cells to define the strength of terrorist cell structures.We discuss algorithms implemented in a program examining the structures of posets of seven elements, and the patterns observed in this analysis. We then discuss implications of these findings, and their applicability to government strategic operations - namely, the possibilities for future expansion and use of the algorithms to produce structures fitting certain parameters, and the caution which must be exercised in following previous suggestions that terrorist cell structures can be assumed to be trees, since structures containing “V” structures and more than one leader can be more secure than trees, according to our findings. We end with several questions that require future investigation in order to increase applicability to strategic operations, and suggestions for how such questions may be approached.