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Intelligence agency
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<h2 id="objectives">Objectives</h2> <p>Intelligence agencies can provide the following services for their national governments. </p> <ul><li>Give early warning of impending crisis;</li> <li>Serve national and international <a href="/facts/Crisis_management/RRB2Vm9M">crisis management</a> by helping to discern the intentions of current or potential opponents;</li> <li>Inform national defense planning and <a href="/facts/Military_operation/t4bo3xGX">military operations</a>, known as <a href="/facts/Military_intelligence/VQJypEMT">military intelligence</a>;</li> <li>Protect sensitive information secrets, both of their own sources and activities, and those of other state agencies;</li> <li>Covertly influence the outcome of events in favor of <a href="/facts/National_interest/wIaK1SRI">national interests</a>, or influence <a href="/facts/International_security/gsfpRwUv">international security</a>; and</li> <li>Defense against the efforts of other national intelligence agencies, known as <a href="/facts/Counterintelligence/MDAxLaSh">counterintelligence</a>.</li></ul> <p>There is a distinction between "security intelligence" and "foreign intelligence". Security intelligence pertains to domestic threats, including <a href="/facts/Terrorism/DHJGPJ6P">terrorism</a> and espionage. Foreign intelligence involves information collection relating to the political, or economic activities of foreign states. </p><p>Some agencies have been involved in <a href="/facts/Assassination/hgoazwWn">assassination</a>, <a href="/facts/Arms_trafficking/E3MrNWHH">arms trafficking</a>, <a href="/facts/Coup_d%2527%25C3%25A9tat/eUK9HBw7">coups d'état</a>, and the placement of misinformation <a href="/facts/Propaganda/nGeaIHVJ">propaganda</a> and other <a href="/facts/Covert_operation/vGjVndcb">covert</a> and <a href="/facts/Clandestine_operations/F0jEfqFm">clandestine operations</a> to support their own or their governments' interests. </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Counter-intelligence_and_counter-terrorism_organizations/JaBm8DSf">Counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism organizations</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Intelligence_officer/XhDxKKUa">Intelligence officer</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/List_of_defunct_intelligence_agencies/nPcC0uko">List of defunct intelligence agencies</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/List_of_intelligence_agencies/BNavd5y9">List of intelligence agencies</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/List_of_intelligence_gathering_disciplines/82yzSqod">List of intelligence gathering disciplines</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Private_intelligence_agency/1cyzeR7X">Private intelligence agency</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/State_Security_(disambiguation)/05tW1h6C">State Security (disambiguation)</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Security_agency/JlsPaP0G">Security agency</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Secret_police/1ea5u7R8">Secret police</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Secret_service/WhjrJDeq">Secret service</a></li></ul> <h2 id="further-reading">Further reading</h2> <p>Books </p> <ul><li><i>Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, and Security</i>, hrg. von K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, 3 Bände, Detroit [u.a.]: Gale [u.a.], 2004</li> <li>Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones, <i>Cloak and Dollar: A History of American Secret Intelligence</i>, Yale University Press, 2002</li> <li>Richard C. S. Trahair, <i>Encyclopedia of Cold War Espionage, Spies, and Secret Operations</i>, Westport, Conn. [u.a.] : Greenwood Press, 2004</li> <li>Amy B. Zegart, <i>Flawed by Design: The Evolution of the CIA, JCS, and NSC</i>, Stanford, Calif.: Stanford Univ. Press, 1999</li></ul> <p>Journals </p> <ul><li><i>The Journal of Intelligence History</i></li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> Wikimedia Commons has media related to Intelligence agencies. <ul><li><a href="https://www.sis.gov.uk/">Secret Intelligence Service (MI6)</a>, the intelligence agency of the <a href="/facts/United_Kingdom/kuPAILt2">United Kingdom</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cia.gov/">Central Intelligence Agency</a>, the intelligence agency of the <a href="/facts/United_States/P0sCdLe5">United States</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.12339.gov.cn/">Ministry of State Security</a>, the intelligence agency of <a href="/facts/China/lTjIXY5p">China</a></li> <li><a href="http://svr.gov.ru/">Foreign Intelligence Service</a>, the intelligence agency of <a href="/facts/Russia/jfkCwyxn">Russia</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.dgse.gouv.fr/en">Directorate-General for External Security</a>, the intelligence agency of <a href="/facts/France/CxIeIKM3">France</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.bnd.bund.de/EN/Home/home_node.html">Federal Intelligence Service</a>, the intelligence agency of <a href="/facts/Germany/paluuWBX">Germany</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Szoldra, Paul (May 11, 2013). "These 17 Agencies Make Up The Most Sophisticated Spy Network In The World". Business Insider. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/17-agencies-of-the-us-intelligence-community-2013-5" target="_blank">http://www.businessinsider.com/17-agencies-of-the-us-intelligence-community-2013-5</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>