Clandestine cell system

A clandestine cell structure is a method for organizing a group of people ranging from resistance fighters or terrorists in such a way that it can more effectively resist penetration by an opposing organization (e.g., a law enforcement organization). In a cell structure, each small group of people in the cell only know the identities of the people in their cell; as such, if a cell member is apprehended and interrogated, he or she will not know the identities of the higher-ranking individuals in the organization. Depending on the group's philosophy, its operational area, the communications technologies available, and the nature of the mission, it can range from a strict hierarchy to an extremely distributed organization. It is also a method used by criminal organizations, undercover operatives, and unconventional warfare (UW) units led by special forces. Historically, clandestine organizations have avoided electronic communications, because signals intelligence is a strength of conventional militaries and counterintelligence organizations.In the context of tradecraft, covert and clandestine are not synonymous. As noted in the definition (which has been used by the United States and NATO since World War II) in a covert operation the identity of the sponsor is concealed, while in a clandestine operation the operation itself is concealed. Put differently, clandestine means ""hidden"", while covert means ""deniable"". The adversary is aware that a covert activity is happening, but does not know who is doing it, and certainly not their sponsorship. Clandestine activities, however, if successful, are completely unknown to the adversary, and their function, such as espionage, would be neutralized if there was any awareness of the activity. Saying a ""covert cell structure"" is tantamount to tautology, because the point of the cell structure is that its details are completely hidden from the opposition.A sleeper cell refers to a cell, or isolated grouping of sleeper agents that lies dormant until it receives orders or decides to act.