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.
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Intelligence collection
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Intelligence analysis
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Counterintelligence
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- 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.
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Covert action
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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 liason 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.
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