View source for Intelligence agency

{{Short description|Agency dealing with secret intelligence}}
{{Refimprove|date=November 2020}}
{{Intelligence}}[[File:SIS building (26327425611).jpg|thumb|The [[SIS Building]], headquarters of [[MI6]], in [[London]], United Kingdom]]
[[File:Prédio da Abin.jpg|thumb|The Prédio da Abin, headquarters of the [[Brazilian Intelligence Agency]], in [[Brasília]], Brasil]]
[[File:Nhb-exterior-020.jpg|thumb|The [[George Bush Center for Intelligence]], headquarters of the [[Central Intelligence Agency]], in [[Langley, Virginia|Langley]], United States]]
[[File:中华人民共和国公安部 主楼.jpg|thumb|The [[Ministry of State Security (China)|Ministry of State Security]] in [[Beijing]], China]]
[[File:Some Moscow buildings (2558373456).jpg|thumb|The headquarters of the [[Foreign Intelligence Service (Russia)|Foreign Intelligence Service]] in [[Moscow]], Russia]]
[[File:Boulevard Mortier, 141.jpg|thumb|The headquarters of the [[Directorate-General for External Security]] in [[Paris]], France]]
[[File:Zentrale des Bundesnachrichtendienst, Berlin.jpg|thumb|The [[Headquarters of the Federal Intelligence Service|BND Headquarters]], headquarters of the [[Federal Intelligence Service]], in Berlin, Germany]]

An '''intelligence agency''' is a [[government agency]] responsible for the collection, [[Intelligence analysis|analysis]], and exploitation of information in support of [[law enforcement]], [[national security]], [[military]], [[public safety]], and [[foreign policy]] objectives.<ref name=BI>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/17-agencies-of-the-us-intelligence-community-2013-5|work=[[Business Insider]]|title=These 17 Agencies Make Up The Most Sophisticated Spy Network In The World|author=Szoldra, Paul|date=May 11, 2013}}</ref>

Means of information gathering are both overt and covert and may include [[espionage]], [[signals intelligence|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]].

== Objectives ==
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 operation]]s, known as [[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 interest]]s, or influence [[international security]]; and
* Defense against the efforts of other national intelligence agencies, known as [[counterintelligence]].

There is a distinction between "security intelligence" and "foreign intelligence". Security intelligence pertains to domestic threats, including [[terrorism]] and 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]], [[coup d'état|coups d'état]], and the placement of misinformation [[propaganda]] and other [[Covert operation|covert]] and [[clandestine operations]] to support their own or their governments' interests.

==See also==
* [[Counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism organizations]]
* [[Intelligence officer]]
* [[List of defunct intelligence agencies]]
* [[List of intelligence agencies]]
* [[List of intelligence gathering disciplines]]
* [[Private intelligence agency]]
* [[State Security (disambiguation)]]
* [[Security agency]]
* [[Secret police]]
* [[Secret service]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==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''

==External links==
{{category commons}}
* [https://www.sis.gov.uk/ Secret Intelligence Service (MI6)], the intelligence agency of the [[United Kingdom]]
* [https://www.cia.gov/ Central Intelligence Agency], the intelligence agency of the [[United States]]
* [https://www.12339.gov.cn/ Ministry of State Security], the intelligence agency of [[China]]
* [http://svr.gov.ru/ Foreign Intelligence Service], the intelligence agency of [[Russia]]
* [https://www.dgse.gouv.fr/en Directorate-General for External Security], the intelligence agency of [[France]]
* [https://www.bnd.bund.de/EN/Home/home_node.html Federal Intelligence Service], the intelligence agency of [[Germany]]

{{External national intelligence agencies}}
{{Espionage}}
{{Intelligence cycle management}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Intelligence agencies| ]]