Top 10 Important Intelligence Agencies in the World

Hemanth Kasturi
April 30, 2020
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2 Comments

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: 18^th 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: 12^th 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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