Intelligence agency

An intelligence agency is a government agency responsible for the collection, analysis, and exploitation of information in support of law enforcement, national security, military, public safety, and foreign policy objectives.[1]

The George Bush Center for Intelligence is the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency.

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 is known as intelligence analysis or intelligence assessment.

Intelligence agencies can provide the following services for their national governments.

  • Give early warning of impending crisis;
  • Serve national and international crisis management by helping to discern the intentions of current or potential opponents;
  • Inform national defense 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 favor of national interests, or influence international security; and
  • Defense against the efforts of other national intelligence agencies (counterintelligence).
The HQ of UK signals intelligence activities is Government Communications Headquarters, Cheltenham
The headquarters of the Finnish Security Intelligence Service or SUPO in Punavuori, Helsinki

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.

Some agencies have been involved in assassination, arms trafficking, coups d'état, and the placement of misinformation (propaganda) as well as other covert and clandestine operations, in order to support their own or their governments' interests.

See also
  • Intelligence officer
  • List of intelligence agencies
  • List of defunct intelligence agencies
  • List of intelligence gathering disciplines
  • Security agency
  • Secret police
  • Secret service
  • Counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism organizations

Further reading

Books

  • Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, and Security, hrg. von K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, 3 Bände, Detroit [u.a.] : Gale [u.a.], 2004
  • Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones, Cloak and Dollar: A History of American Secret Intelligence, Yale University Press, 2002
  • Richard C. S. Trahair, Encyclopedia of Cold War Espionage, Spies, and Secret Operations, Westport, Conn. [u.a.] : Greenwood Press, 2004
  • Amy B. Zegart, Flawed by Design: The Evolution of the CIA, JCS, and NSC, Stanford, Calif.: Stanford Univ. Press, 1999

Journals

  • The Journal of Intelligence History

Reports

  • Ruiz, Victor H., 2010. "A Knowledge Taxonomy for Army Intelligence Training: An Assessment of the Military Intelligence Basic Officer Leaders Course Using Lundvall's Knowledge Taxonomy". Applied Research Projects. Texas State University Paper 331. Txstate.edu

References
  1. Szoldra, Paul (May 11, 2013). "These 17 Agencies Make Up The Most Sophisticated Spy Network In The World". Business Insider.
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