Military Review English Edition November-December 2014 | Page 93
ENTANGLEMENT
actor that may be connected along relational lines to
other nodes based on a shared characteristic.29 Hubs
are especially well-connected nodes when compared
to the average number of connections of the other nodes in a particular network.30 Such powerful
nodes demonstrate (or at least have potential to
demonstrate) a disproportionate influence over other
nodes.31
In another example, a broker is a node that serves
as the single “go-between” or intermediary for other
nodes.32 The geodesic distance between two nodes is
the shortest path length—in other words, length is
measured by how many other nodes separate the
two. The shortest path may depict the most efficient
routes for sending or receiving information between
nodes. Generally, the greater the proportion of geodesic (short, direct) distances in a network, the more
clustered and cohesive it is. The more cohesive, the
more resilient it can be to attempts to disrupt communication or resource sharing among the nodes.33
A cut point is a node that, if removed from a
network, would sever all connectivity between two or
more nodes, like a keystone in an archway.34 Likewise,
a bridge describes a relationship or tie that, if removed from a network, would sever the flow between
two or more nodes or sections of the network.35
When applied to the social network existing in
any particular military unit, these concepts (and
their mathematical calculations, if more precision is
needed) may provide leaders a lens through which to
observe interactions among their personnel.
When circumstances warrant, these concepts
may provide solid footing on which to act preemptively with administrative mechanisms or to consider the RCM 306 factors more realistically. In
other words, SNA would provide commanders with
a means to “perform strategic analysis of organized
[misconduct].”36
Additionally, seeing where, and to what extent,
social networks exist among