The Elements of Intelligence
Despite the secrecy which surrounds intelligence agencies, the general nature of their activities is well-known, being based on practices that are thousands of years old. Each of the four main intelligence disciplines present profound issues for democratic societies.
|
Intelligence collection
|
|
|
Intelligence analysis
|
|
|
Counterintelligence
|
- Classification: Categorisation of information according to its sensitivity, e.g. secret, top secret.
- Security Measures taken to obstruct hostile intelligence services such as personnel vetting and physical security.
- Counterespionage: Measures designed to actively frustrate a hostile intelligence service, such as surveillance and collection of intelligence on agents.
- Offensive counterintelligence Attempting to turn one's opponent's intelligence operations to one's own advantage, e.g. Operation Double-Cross.
- Deception: Operations designed to mislead an opponent's intelligence analysis, e.g. Operation Fortitude
- Feedback: Intelligence indicating whether a deception has successfully influenced an opponents analysis.
|
Covert action
|
|
Covert action is a term of art used by the American intelligence community to describe "the attempt by a government or group to influence events in another state or territory without revealing its own involvement."[1] Similar terms include the British Special Political Action or Political warfare and the Russian aktivnye merpriiatiia or active measures.
- Intelligence support and Intelligence liaison may be means of exercising covert influence, e.g. British Security Coordination in the US during the Second World War.
- Unilateral penetration: Spying on a friendly intelligence agency, sometimes conducted to assure the strength of the relationship.
- Agents of influence Individuals with whom an agency maintains a secret relationship so that they will be in a position to influence policy immediately or in the future.
- Front groups Organisations secretly created or aided by an agency to pursue its objectives, e.g. Congress for Cultural Freedom.
- White propaganda:Overt propaganda carried out openly on behalf of its sponsor, e.g. the activities of the United States Information Agency or the British Council.
- Grey propaganda: Thinly disguised propaganda which is deniable but which may be seen for what it is by sophisticated observers. The output of Encounter magazine might be considered an example.
- Black propaganda: Propaganda whose source is heavily concealed and which may also be disinformation, false information designed to mislead. Methods of dissemination include rumour and forgery.
- Paramilitary operations: Examples include US support for Cuban exiles at the Bay of Pigs, the Contras and the Afghan Mujahideen.
- Assassination: Examples include the Russian-sponsored murder of Leon Trotsky, CIA attempts on the life of Fidel Castro and British attempts to kill Gamal Abdel Nasser.
- Special Forces: Covert deployments of special forces include for example, British operations in Yemen in the 1960s.
- Coup d'etat: Facilitating the overthrow of a government,e.g. the US and British-supported Iranian coup of 1953, Operation Ajax.
|
|
Categories
|
|
There are a list of categories associated with this page:
|
Latest Spooks updates
|
|
|
References and Resources
|
|
|
New pages on Powerbase
|
<recent columns="2" limit="20" />
|
Disclaimer: Powerbase is an encyclopedia of people, issues and groups shaping the public agenda. It is a project of the Spinwatch—email editor AT powerbase.info.
Antispam note: To avoid attracting spam email robots, email addresses on Powerbase are written with AT in place of the usual symbol, and we have removed "mail to" links. Replace AT with the correct symbol to get a valid address. We regret the inconvenience this entails. Campaign for more effective antispam regulations.
|
|
References
- ↑ Dirty Tricks or Trump Cards, by Roy Godson, Transaction Books, 2001, p.3.
|
|
|
