Improving Nonlethal Targeting: A Social Network Analysis Method for Military Planners

Abstract

Nonlethal strategies are an essential element in the military targeting process to defeat and disrupt terrorist and insurgent networks. The majority of nonlethal options of military power come through Information Operations, including the use of deception. This thesis explores how a deception plan against a terrorist network can be informed and prepared using social network analysis methods. Selecting targets that fragment the network becomes the object of the deception, whereas the actual targets of deception are individuals who are connected to these fragmentation nodes. A simulation of how information diffuses through the network helps to identify how rapidly and how far a misinformation message might spread. Social network analysis also shows where intelligence collection might be incorporated to provide feedback about the success of message dissemination and the deception effort.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2012
Accession Number
ADA573815

Entities

People

  • Jason C. Brown

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Employment
  • Group Dynamics
  • Information Operations
  • Intelligence Collection
  • Military Information Support Operations
  • Military Operations
  • Military Organizations
  • Personnel Management
  • Psychological Operations
  • Psychology
  • Simulations
  • Social Networks
  • Social Psychology
  • Social Sciences
  • Sociology
  • Terrorists
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Agent-Based Social Robotics and Mobile-Assisted Learning in Virtual Environments.
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Neural Network Machine Learning.