The Intelligence Game

 

The employees of an Intelligence Service or Agency - often called Agents, Intelligence Officers or Operatives – are required to operate in foreign countries to gather information that is of benefit to their own country. This intelligence gathering is usually of a military or economic nature and the agency responsible is called an Offensive or Foreign Intelligence Service. The American CIA and the English MI6 are the most famous foreign services.

 

Countries also collect intelligence within their own country to anticipate threats towards their government and to protect their country from outside threats. This protection includes the monitoring of foreign spies who enter the country to gather intelligence. The FBI and MI5 are examples of Domestic Intelligence Services who’s duty it is to prevent such intelligence gathering. This prevention is called Counter Intelligence. These same domestic services are also responsible for Counter Terrorism within their country.

 

A foreign Intelligence Officer posted abroad has to anticipate that he or she will be watched and/or followed by domestic intelligence agents. These domestic agents will use both Physical Surveillance (actually watching and following a targeted individual) and Electronic Surveillance (using listening and locating devises to gather information on a targeted individual). To prevent being followed, the foreign officer will have extensive training in Counter Surveillance (the art of preventing surveillance).

 

All these skills, the Physical Surveillance, Counter Surveillance and all the other tricks, procedures, security measures and methods that an intelligence officer uses daily can be summed up in one word: Tradecraft. This is the Art of being a Spy. Tradecraft is called an Art because it has been practiced and perfected over thousands of years and is passed down to each new generation. Like all arts, it can not really be taught - it must be learned.