An intelligence agency is a governmental agency that is devoted to information gathering (known in the context as "intelligence") for purposes of national security and defense. Means of information gathering 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.

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

• provide analysis in areas relevant to national security;
• 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 defense planning and military operations;
• protect secrets, both of their own sources and activities, and those of other state agencies; and
• may act covertly to influence the outcome of events in favor of national interests

Intelligence agencies are also involved in defensive activities such as counter-espionage or counter-terrorism.

There is a distinction between "security intelligence" and "foreign intelligence". Security intelligence pertains to national security threats (e.g. terrorism, espionage). Foreign intelligence involves information collection relating to the political, or economic activities of foreign states.

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

Contents 1 List of major intelligence agencies (by country) 2 See also 3 Further reading 4 External links

[edit] List of major intelligence agencies (by country)

Australia

• Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS)
• Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO)

Bangladesh

• Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI)
• National Security Intelligence (NSI)

Belgium

• Staatsveiligheid / Sûreté de l'État (SV/SE)  – State Security Service

Brazil

• Agência Brasileira de Inteligência (ABIN)  – Brazilian Intelligence Agency

Canada

• Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)

China

• Ministry of State Security (MSS)

Chile

• Agencia Nacional de Inteligencia (ANI)  – National Intelligence Agency

Colombia

• Agencia Central de Intelligencia (ACI) Central Intelligence Agency (of Colombia)

Cuba

• Dirección General de Inteligencia (DGI) General Directorate of Intelligence

Denmark

• Politiets Efterretningstjeneste (PET)  – Danish Security and Intelligence Service
• Forsvarets Efterretningstjeneste (FE)  – Danish Defence Intelligence Service

Egypt

• Al-Mukhabarat al-'Ammah  – Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate
• Mabahith Amn al-Dawla al-'Ulya  – State Security Investigation Bureau

Finland

• Suojelupoliisi (Supo)  – Protection Police

France

• Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure (DGSE)  – General Directorate of External Security
• Direction Centrale du Renseignement Intérieur (DCRI)  – Central Directorate of Interior Intelligence

Germany

• Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND)  – Federal Intelligence Service
• Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV)  – Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
• Militärischer Abschirmdienst (MAD)  – Military Counterintelligence Agency

Greece

• Ethniki Ypiresia Pliroforion (NIS)  – Hellenic National Intelligence Service

India

• Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
• Intelligence Bureau (IB)
• Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)

Ireland

• G2 Army Intelligence (G2)
• National Surveillance Unit (Garda) (NSU)

Israel

• ha-Mossad le-Modiin u-le-Tafkidim Myukhadim (Mossad)  – Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations

Italy

• Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Interna (AISI)  – Agency for Internal Information and Security
• Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Esterna (AISE)  – Agency for External Information and Security

Mexico

• Centro de Investigación y Seguridad Nacional (CISEN)  – National Security and Investigation Center
• Agencia Federal de Investigacion (AFI)  – Federal Investigation Agency

Netherlands

• Algemene Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst (AIVD)  – General Intelligence and Security Service

New Zealand

• New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS)
• Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB)

Pakistan

• Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)

Poland

• Agencja Wywiadu (AW)  – Foreign Intelligence Agency
• Agencja Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego (ABW)  – Internal Security Agency

Russian Federation

• Federalnaya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti (FSB)  – Federal Security Service
• Glavnoye Razvedyvatelnoye Upravlenie Genshtaba (GRU)  – Main Intelligence Directorate of General Staff
• Sluzhba Vneshney Razvedki (SVR)  – Foreign Intelligence Service

Saudi Arabia

• Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah  – General Intelligence Directorate

Singapore

• Security and Intelligence Division (SID)
• Internal Security Department (ISD)

South Africa

• National Intelligence Agency (NIA)

Spain

• Centro Nacional de Inteligencia (CNI)  – National Intelligence Centre

Sweden

• Kontoret för särskild inhämtning (KSI)  – Office for Special Acquisition
• Underrättelsekontoret (UNDK)  – Intelligence Office

Turkey

• Milli İstihbarat Teşkilatı (MİT)  – National Intelligence Organization

Ukraine

• Holovne Upravlinnya Rozvidky (HUR)  – Central Intelligence Directorate
• Sluzhba Zovnishnioyi Rozvidky Ukrayiny (SZR or SZRU)  – Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine

United Kingdom

• Secret Intelligence Service (SIS or MI6)
• Security Service (colloquially MI5)
• Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ)

United States

• Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
• Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
• National Security Agency (NSA)
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

[edit] See also

• Intelligence (information gathering)
• List of intelligence gathering disciplines
  • HUMINT or human intelligence
  • GEOINT or geospatial intelligence
  • IMINT or imagery intelligence
  • MASINT or measures and signatures intelligence
  • OSINT or open source intelligence
  • SIGINT or signals intelligence
    • COMINT or communications intelligence
    • ELINT or electronics intelligence
• List of primary and secondary sources on the Cold War
• Mukhabarat
• Secret police
• Secret service
• Security agency
• United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court

[edit] Further reading

Books

• Encyclopedia of espionage, intelligence, and security, hrg. von K. Lee Lerner und 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

[edit] External links

• Intelligence News
• Outsourcing Intelligence
• Article on intelligence services by the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces
• Proposal for a Privacy Protection Guideline on Secret Personal Data Gathering and Transborder Flows of Such Data in the Fight against Terrorism and Serious Crime by Marcel Stuessi
• Intelligence Online Investigative news and reporting on intelligence agencies world-wide.