An intelligence officer is a person employed by an organisation to collect, compile and analyse information (known as intelligence) which is of use to that organisation. Organisations which employ intelligence officers include armed forces, police, civilian intelligence agencies and customs agencies.
An essential distinction is that between an intelligence officer and an intelligence agent:
- an officer goes to foreign countries to recruit agents, then relays information from the agents to his/her intelligence agency
- an agent spies on his/her own country and gives the information to the foreign intelligence officer who recruited him/her.
Role and Responsibilities
The actual role carried out by an intelligence officer varies depending on the remit of his/her parent organisation. Officers of foreign intelligence agencies (e.g. the United States' Central Intelligence Agency or the United Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Service (MI6)) may spend much of their careers abroad. Officers of domestic intelligence agencies (such as the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation or the UK's Security Service (MI5)) are responsible for counter-terrorism, counter-espionage, counter-proliferation and the detection and prevention of serious organised crime within their own countries (although, in Britain, the Serious Organised Crime Agency has been set up to take care of serious organised crime).
Responsibilities which are common to most intelligence officers include compiling and analysing intelligence to determine the identities, intentions, capabilities and activities of hostile individuals or groups, and planning or enacting the necessary steps to disrupt or prevent such activities.
Sources of Intelligence
Intelligence officers make use of a variety of sources of information, including
- Open source information (e.g. Internet, libraries, newspapers, etc.)
- Eavesdropping or telephone tapping
- Interception of communications (signals intelligence)
- Surveillance
- Covert human intelligence sources (agents or moles)
- Co-operation and sharing of information with other intelligence agencies
See also
- Central Intelligence Agency
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- National Security Agency
- Intelligence Bureau
- Internal Revenue Service
- British Security Service more commonly known as MI5
- Secret Intelligence Service more commonly known as MI6
- Security Service
- Government Communications Headquarters
- Serious Organised Crime Agency
- Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs
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Last updated on Monday February 25, 2008 at 09:00:13 PST (GMT -0800)
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An intelligence officer is a person employed by an organisation to collect, compile and analyse information (known as intelligence) which is of use to that organisation. Organisations which employ intelligence officers include armed forces, police, civilian intelligence agencies and customs agencies.
An essential distinction is that between an intelligence officer and an intelligence agent:
- an officer goes to foreign countries to recruit agents, then relays information from the agents to his/her intelligence agency
- an agent spies on his/her own country and gives the information to the foreign intelligence officer who recruited him/her.
Role and Responsibilities
The actual role carried out by an intelligence officer varies depending on the remit of his/her parent organisation. Officers of foreign intelligence agencies (e.g. the United States' Central Intelligence Agency or the United Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Service (MI6)) may spend much of their careers abroad. Officers of domestic intelligence agencies (such as the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation or the UK's Security Service (MI5)) are responsible for counter-terrorism, counter-espionage, counter-proliferation and the detection and prevention of serious organised crime within their own countries (although, in Britain, the Serious Organised Crime Agency has been set up to take care of serious organised crime).
Responsibilities which are common to most intelligence officers include compiling and analysing intelligence to determine the identities, intentions, capabilities and activities of hostile individuals or groups, and planning or enacting the necessary steps to disrupt or prevent such activities.
Sources of Intelligence
Intelligence officers make use of a variety of sources of information, including
- Open source information (e.g. Internet, libraries, newspapers, etc.)
- Eavesdropping or telephone tapping
- Interception of communications (signals intelligence)
- Surveillance
- Covert human intelligence sources (agents or moles)
- Co-operation and sharing of information with other intelligence agencies
See also
- Central Intelligence Agency
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- National Security Agency
- Intelligence Bureau
- Internal Revenue Service
- British Security Service more commonly known as MI5
- Secret Intelligence Service more commonly known as MI6
- Security Service
- Government Communications Headquarters
- Serious Organised Crime Agency
- Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs
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