Exploring the Structure and Task Dynamics of Terrorist Organizations Using Agent Based Modeling

Abstract

This thesis examines the structure and attributes of the terrorist network that was responsible for the 2004 Madrid bombing attack. It initially produces a Baseline computational model using POW-ER, based on data from academic papers and news articles about the 2004 Madrid bombings. The Baseline model is further compared with two different representations of the same terrorist group: 1) the Expert model, which is identical to the Baseline model except for the fact that the actors have high application experience and skill levels, and 2) the Hierarchical model, which is similar to the Baseline but with a hierarchical structure. All models are tested under both baseline and high counterterrorist conditions. This thesis examines how different contingency factors affect the preparation and execution of a terrorist bombing attack and provides recommendations to inform counterterrorist agencies.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2008
Accession Number
ADA493948

Entities

People

  • Nikolaos Bekatoros

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Counter IED
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Case Studies
  • Command And Control
  • Computer Networks
  • Computers
  • Information Processing
  • Information Systems
  • Mobile Phones
  • Network Science
  • New York
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Social Networks
  • Societies
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • Training
  • Unconventional Warfare

Readers

  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Strategic Security Studies
  • Team-Based Human-Centered Cognitive Task Decision Making and Information Performance.