An intelligence agency is a government agency responsible for the collection, analysis, and exploitation of information in support of law enforcement, national security, military, and foreign policy objectives.
Means of information gathering are both overt and covert and may include espionage, communication interception, cryptanalysis, cooperation with other institutions, and evaluation of public sources. The assembly and propagation of this information are known as intelligence analysis or intelligence assessment.
Intelligence agencies can provide the following services for their national governments.
- Give early warning of impending crises.
- Serve national and international crisis management by helping to discern the intentions of current or potential opponents.
- Inform national defence planning and military operations (military intelligence);
- Protect sensitive information secrets, both of their own sources and activities, and those of other state agencies.
- Covertly influence the outcome of events in favour of national interests, or influence international security; and
- Defence against the efforts of other national intelligence agencies (counterintelligence).
There is a distinction between “security intelligence” and “foreign intelligence”. Security intelligence pertains to domestic threats (e.g., terrorism, espionage). Foreign intelligence involves information collection relating to the political, or economic activities of foreign states.
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), USA
- Civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the USA.
- Task: Gathering, processing, and analyzing national security information from around the world, primarily using human intelligence.
- Headquarters: Langley, McLean, Virginia, USA.
- Founder: Harry S. Truman
- Founded: 18th September 1947
- Budget: $15 billion
- Current Director: Gina Haspel
Federal Security Service, USSR
- Foreign intelligence service of the Russian Federation.
- Task: Counter-intelligence, operative-investigatory activities, guarding the State border of the USSR, guarding the leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the Soviet Government.
- Headquarters: 24 Kuznetsky Most Street, Moscow, Russia.
- Formerly known as: KGB
- Founded: 12th April 1995
- Budget: Classified.
- Current Director: Alexander Bortnikov
Central External Liaison Department, China
- Known as “International External Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China”.
- Task: Conducting relations with and influencing foreign political parties, think tanks, and academics as well as finding ways to divide potential critics.
- Headquarters: Beijing, China.
- Formerly known as: International Department
- Founded: 1951
- Budget: Classified.
- Current Director: Song Tao
Naikaku Jōhō Chōsashitsu, Japan
- Known as “Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office”.
- Task: Around 100 out of 170 CIRO agents are from other agencies/ministries with top positions occupied by career police officers. They guard Japanese National Interests.
- Headquarters: Nagatacho, Tokyo, Japan.
- Formerly known as: Cabinet Research Centre
- Founded: 1986
- Budget: Classified.
- Current Executive: Shigeru Kitamura
Directorate-General for External Security, France
- Known as “Direction générale de la sécurité extérieure, DGSE”.
- Task: Providing intelligence and safeguarding French national security, notably by performing paramilitary and counterintelligence operations abroad.
- Headquarters: 141 Boulevard Mortier, Paris XX, France
- Formerly known as: External Documentation and Counter-Espionage Service.
- Founded: April 2, 1982.
- Budget: US$731,807,192.50
- Current Executive Director: Bernard Emie
Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), UK
- Foreign Intelligence Service of Govt. of United Kingdom.
- Task: Covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligence in support of the UK’s national security.
- Headquarters: London, United Kingdom.
- Formerly known as : Secret Service Bureau
- Founder: H. H. Asquith.
- Founded: July 1909.
- Budget: £3.02 billion in 2018 financial year.
- Current Executive: Alex Younger
Mossad, Israel
- Mossad is a Hebrew Term which means “Institute”.
- Also known as “Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations”.
- Task: intelligence collection, covert operations, and counterterrorism.
- Headquarters: Tel Aviv, Israël.
- Formerly known as : Central Institute for Coordination
- Founded: December 13, 1949.
- Budget: $2.73 billion.
- Current Executive: Yossi Cohen
Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India
- Hindi: “Anusandhan aur Vishleshan Wing”.
- Task: intelligence collection, covert operations, advice Indian politicians and do counterterrorism abroad.
- Headquarters: CGO Complex, New Delhi.
- Founded: September 21, 1968.
- Budget: Classified.
- Current Executive: Samant Goel, IPS
- No records of failures or accomplishments –information highly classified.
National Intelligence Agency, South Africa
- Currently it is known as the Domestic Branch of the State Security Agency.
- Task: Gather, correlate, evaluate and analyze domestic intelligence and abroad information.
- Headquarters: Musanda, Pretoria, South Africa.
- Formerly known as : National Intelligence Service.
- Founded: January 1, 1994.
- Budget: Classified.
- Current Executive: Mahlodi Muofhe
Inter-Services Intelligence, Pakistan
- Task: Gather, correlate, evaluate and analyze domestic intelligence and abroad information, particularly India.
- Headquarters: Aabpara, Islamabad, Pakistan.
- Founded: January 1, 1948.
- Budget: Classified.
- Current Executive: Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed
- Departments to focus:
- Joint Counterintelligence Bureau – to fight RAW of India.
- Joint Intelligence North – to look upon Jammu & Kashmir.
- Most used techniques – human operations, media, diplomacy with other nations.
SAVAK, Iran
- It was the secret police, domestic security and intelligence service in Iran during the reign of the Pahlavi dynasty.
- It was established with the help of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and the Israeli Mossad.
- Headquarters: Tehran, Iran.
- Founder : Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
- Founded: March 20, 1957.
- Ceased operations on 24 February 1979
- Superseding Agency: Prime Ministry Intelligence Office, Iran (formed after Iranian Revolution).
Iraqi National Intelligence Service, Iraq
- It has been funded from secret funds set aside within the Iraq appropriation approved by the US Congress.
- These secret funds, totaling $3 billion over three years, are said to be destined for covert CIA operations within Iraq (as well as, to a small extent, Afghanistan).
- Headquarters: Baghdâd, Iraq.
- Founder : Coalition Provisional Authority.
- Founded: April 2004.
- Agency Executive : Mustafa Al-Kadhimi
AND MANY MORE…
Agencies might gain attention or power based on geopolitical scenarios. Even at this moment, we cannot say which agency is in which operation that might create a significant change in the world history and future.
Also Read: How to join RAW?
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