Violent extremist network representation and attack the network course of action analysis in social simulation

Abstract

The representation of violent extremist networks (VENs) and their behaviors within social simulation is required in order to leverage models and simulations for use to attack the networks course of action analysis. VENs appear throughout the world in multiple forms with varying objectives and behaviors. They exist as a subset of society, nested within and leveraging the underlying social network of a culture to further their own ends. The interdiction of these networks to presents a challenging task for law enforcement and military organizations due to their ability to change and adapt to the situation at hand. The use of social simulation with VEN representations and designed simulation experiments can provide decision makers with insights into the potential impact of their action to attack the threat network to include the likely manner in which the VEN might adapt to counter the attack. This paper discusses the requirements to represent VENs within simultions,provides an overview of the current VEN representationwithin the Current Geography model, and provides a case study analysis of the use of social simulations for the explporation of posssible futures in support of course of action analysis.