# Network Disruption **Entity class:** Intervention strategy **Domain:** Counterterrorism / law enforcement / network science **Maturity:** Developed ## Definition **Network disruption** seeks to reduce a hostile network's capacity by interrupting critical people, resources, communications, finance, logistics, platforms, or relationships. Options range from investigation, prosecution, sanctions, asset freezes, and protective measures to deplatforming, cyber defense, and military action under separate authorities. Removing a central node may fragment a network, but adaptive networks can replace leaders, decentralize, or harden. Effective design therefore distinguishes hubs, brokers, cut vertices, financial facilitators, and redundant cells while measuring displacement and unintended effects. ## Relationships - **mission:** [[wiki/Counterterrorism|Counterterrorism]]. - **target discovery:** [[wiki/Social Network Analysis|Social Network Analysis]] and [[wiki/Financial Intelligence|Financial Intelligence]]. - **structural concepts:** [[wiki/Structural Holes|Structural Holes]] and [[wiki/Community Detection|Community Detection]]. - **preventive alternative:** [[wiki/Countering Violent Extremism|Countering Violent Extremism]]. ## Sources / Provenance - [Treasury — Terrorism and Financial Intelligence](https://home.treasury.gov/about/offices/terrorism-and-financial-intelligence) - [Oxford Journal of Conflict and Security Law — social-network analysis in counterterrorism](https://academic.oup.com/jcsl/article/29/1/165/7603867)