The military operates that way with 99% of their personnel, who are grunts, expected to only ever follow orders, to never think for themselves. They're expendable cannon fodder - think of them as pieces of hardware in a software company. But with the 1% at the very top (basically just generals), I'd say the bus factor comes into play, same as in any other organisation - certain individuals have all the knowledge of certain domains, and if enough of those individuals are taken out, the wheels grind to a halt. That's why targeted assassinations happen to the top brass.