These days you hear the phrase “terrorist cells” bandied about quite a bit. It is my understanding that covert groups use a “cell structure” to make sure one compromised member can’t bring down the whole orgainzation. I think I remember reading that this idea originated in the Communist revolution in Russia.
How does the “cell structure” work? It seems that communication between cells would be the weak point that could lead to more busts if one cell is compromised. How are commands transmitted through such an organization? How do law enforcement and intellegence organizations fight such an organization? And where did this idea originate?
Science fiction can be really educational; Robert A. Heinlein discusses various forms of cell structure for subversive organizations in his novel The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress. The descriptions of how the Brotherhood works in Orwell’s 1984 also comes to mind.
I think the key to how those structures work is decentralization. The various cells are autonomous; they don’t get commands from the headquarters continously, they pursue their normal everyday business, disguised as ordinary people, while being in loose contact with some higher-ranking official in the higher echelons specially assigned to this cell. If some operation is planned, they get instructions from the headquarters as well as the monies they need, but internally they are totally autonomous to minimize the necessary amount of communication between the cells which indeed is the weak point. I don’t think there’s too much contact between the single cells directly, and if there is, cell A does not know more details about what cell B is doing than necessary (“need to know,” so to speak), so as not to increase the risk of cell B of being unveiled if someone in cell A gets busted.