The term "deep state" refers to a concept of a "statewithin a state." The idea is that politicsdoesn't work the way most people expect, with politicians making policy and that all organs of the state are subservient to that. The deep state is the idea that some part of the state, such as the military, or a combination of the military and big business, essentially has unchecked authority to do whatever it wishes.

I would argue that this is just the concept of a state, as the implication of this term is that a state shouldn't behave in a clandestine manner, and that the relationship between military and big business is abnormal rather than normal.