In the aftermath of the failed Jan. 6 coup, people are calling for the creation of a domestic intelligence agency....
Top World Intelligence Agencies
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China’s Ministry of State Security is responsible for the governments foreign intelligence and counterintelligence missions. Despite…
Once upon a time Washingtonians said NSA stood for “No Such Agency.” Now NSA is one of the most famous U.S. intelligence agencies,. It is responsible…
The FSB is the largest security service in Europe, reportedly employing 66,000 uniformed personnel. Established in 1994, FSB evolved out of the…
ISI is widely regarded as the “deep state” of Pakistan. It is a powerful but opaque intelligence service that manages the country’s elected government and…
The world’s largest intelligence service, the CIA advises the president via a daily briefing and the National Security Council. It conducts clandestine operations outside the United States…
The foreign intelligence agency of India, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), primarily focuses on counterterrorism, counterproliferation, advising …
The Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (Servicio Bolivariano de Inteligencia Nacional, SEBIN) is the premier intelligence agency in Venezuela. SEBIN’s stated mission is…
Mossad (the Hebrew word for “institute”) is one of the world’s most effective and notorious intelligence services. Its policy of targeted assassination…
MOIS is one of two organizations responsible for conducting covert activities outside of Iran. The other is the Qods Force, a branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC)…
Russia has one of the oldest traditions of secret intelligence operations, rivaled only by Great Britain. While the ideology of the Moscow government has…
The Secret Intelligence Service of the United Kingdom is the world’s oldest spy agency. Created in 1909, SIS was tasked with defending the secrets of Her…
Turkey’s struggle with the Kurdish minority within its borders often defines its allies or foes in the international intelligence community. MIT has maintained…
As the monarchy’s intelligence apparatus, GIP is instrumental to the power of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Once the king’s personal security detail…
The DGSE has focused its efforts on counterterrorism since a string of terror attacks in Paris in 2015. The DGSE also concluded…
In February 2018, Mexico’s intelligence service, the Centro de Investigación y Seguridad Nacional (CISEN) was renamed the Centro de Inteligencia Nacional …
CSIS investigates terrorism, foreign espionage, and hate groups. It also conducts background investigations of public officials, as well as…
The BND, established in April 1956, collects human intelligence (i.e. informants); signals intelligence, imagery intelligence, and open source intelligence…
The NIS become embroiled in South Korean politics in 2018.. As liberals and conservative parties vied for control of the presidency, NIS interference in…
The PSIA is a small agency, whose actions are not well-known among the Japanese public. The Second Department of Investigation is in charge of foreign…
Research Notes
These profiles were compiled with the help of researchers Prusha Hasan, Briana Taylor, and Nathalie Grogan.
This guide to the world’s most important intelligence agencies is a work in progress. The Deep State news blog seeks to introduce high school and college students, and other citizens of the world, to the realities of secret intelligence agencies.
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