Intelligence agency

An intelligence agency is a government agency responsible for the collection, analysis, and exploitation of information in support of law enforcement, national security, military, public safety, and foreign policy objectives.

[1] Means of information gathering are both overt and covert and may include espionage, communication interception, cryptanalysis, cooperation with other institutions, and evaluation of public sources.

Intelligence agencies can provide the following services for their national governments.

Security intelligence pertains to domestic threats, including terrorism and espionage.

Some agencies have been involved in assassination, arms trafficking, coups d'état, and the placement of misinformation propaganda and other covert and clandestine operations to support their own or their governments' interests.

The SIS Building , headquarters of MI6 , in London , United Kingdom
The George Bush Center for Intelligence , headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency , in Langley , United States
The Ministry of State Security in Beijing , China
The headquarters of the Foreign Intelligence Service in Moscow , Russia
The headquarters of the Directorate-General for External Security in Paris , France