Structure Depends on Organization
Cell Strategy refers to the
organizational technique of dividing terrorist organizations into small
sub-units that usually interact in a larger network. Cells can be
composed of anywhere between 3-10 individuals. Many present-day
terrorist organizations use some variation of cell strategy. Cell
strategy can be understood to form a continuum ranging from cells that
serve as units in a broader hierarchical network to cells that are
self-sustaining units in a non-hierarchical network, depending on the
interests and methods of the leadership of the organization.
The three most common forms of cell strategy include the:-
- traditional cell,
- the endemic cell (also known as Self Starter Cells) and
- the sleeper cell.
Vladimir Lenin as Pioneer
Cell
strategy is not new to terrorist organizations, although changes in the
international security arena have made it more prevalent now than in
the past. Vladimir Lenin is among the most well-known pioneers of cell
strategy. Leninist parties were built on coalitions of individual cells
in a broader network of revolutionaries in order to enhance the
security of the rebellion. The same strategy has been used by
organizations all over the world in the 20th and 21st century.
Types of Organizations Who Use Cell Strategy
Robert Bolivar DePugh used cell strategy in establishing the right wing Minutemen organization in
the 1960s. DePugh once claimed that the organization boasted 25,000
members divided into cells of 5-15 men (Marks 1996). The strategy has
also been used by, among others, the Basques in Spain, the IRA in
Northern Ireland, The Sandistas in Nicaragua, the Army of God in the
United States, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Palestine and Al Qaeda in
Afghanistan.
Source: http://www.trackingterrorism.org/article/cell-strategy-and-terrorist-groups
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