Similiarly, I wonder if perhaps there are not agencies out there similar to the "long trigger" subs intelligence or paramilitary agencies that "submerged" during World War 3 (the "cold war") and now operate outside of the chain of command. Such an agency could operate "off the grid" by obtaining its income through private business activities (illegal or legal) and its assignments from a source outside the national command authority (a Senator, an admiral, or some other insider). One has to admit that such a tool could be very useful in certain situations a shadow army with no paper trail, no oversight, and no accountability...
Good points.
Quite plausible, to me.
Not sure what it would look like.
Certainly there’s massive power blocks that operate wholesale outside the law and standards of moral society.