Top 10 Intelligence Agencies in the World
#10: National Intelligence Service (NIS)
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South Korea Formed in 1961 as the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, the intelligence agency has found itself being reformed several times due to abuse of power. In 1979, after a load of kidnappings, the group’s director, Kim Jae-gyu, assassinated President Park Chung Hee. In 1999, the group was officially renamed the National Intelligence Service. The NIS has three directorates. Two of them are standard, with national and international affairs. The last is specifically for North Korea, with collecting information and preventing possible attacks. While the NIS has had its power reined in, this didn’t stop the organization from manipulating the election results in 2012 to secure the term for Park Geun-hye. Further reforms in 2020 prevented this scenario from happening again.
#9: Federal Intelligence Service (BND)
Germany Also known as the Bundesnachrichtendienst, the BND was formed in the ashes of the Gehlen Organization in 1956 in West Germany in association with the CIA. The BND was used extensively during the Cold War to help the US with information gathering around the Eastern Bloc. Similarly to the US’s Operation Paperclip, the group also hired former Nazis in the early days. Today, the BND protects German interests from foreign threats by specializing in surveillance and wiretapping for military and civilian targets. In recent years, the BND seemed to be an easy target for Russian espionage who conducted missions in Germany and stole information from the organization. However, the group has been cracking down on this by arresting various moles for treason.
#8: Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE)
France Under the direction of the French Ministry of Armed Forces, the Directorate-General for External Security is the foreign intelligence branch of the security services, while the General Directorate for Internal Security deals with domestic issues. Formed in 1982, the DGSE took over for the SDECE, which was heavily criticized for its role in the disappearance of Moroccan politician Mehdi Ben Barka in 1965. On top of surveillance, the DGSE has also conducted missions abroad. In the 1990s, an operative known as Omar Nasiri infiltrated extremist training camps in Afghanistan to collect information. In 2020, it was found that the DGSE had been targeted by China, as the country made deals with retired agents, who were later arrested.
#7: Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS)
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Australia In 1952, the Australian Secret Intelligence Service was formed to collect intelligence from sources abroad, while the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation focuses on domestic issues. Amazingly, ASIS's existence was a secret until 1972, when an exposé by a newspaper alerted the public. In recent years, the group has been heavily praised by the intelligence world. One area of success is the anti people-smuggling operations it has arranged in several countries. However, not everything has been good. ASIS was found to have been covertly aiding the US in overthrowing the democratically-elected Chile socialist government in 1973, allowing Augusto Pinochet to become a dictator.
#6: Federal Security Service (FSB)
Russia After the Soviet Union’s infamous KGB came Russia’s short-lived FSK, until it was reorganized into the ominous Federal Security Service in 1995. The FSB focuses on counterintelligence, security, and surveillance. In 1998, Vladimir Putin was director of the FSB. When he became President, he began reforming the group, giving himself more power over them. The FSB conducts assassinations and cyberespionage programs, working to undermine democracy around the world. One former officer and critic, Alexander Litvinenko, was eventually fatally poisoned in exile in England, which most assume was perpetrated by the FSB.
#5: Ministry of State Security (MSS)
China China’s Ministry of State Security was formed in 1983 and focuses on intelligence, secret police, and security domestically, as well as foreign intelligence gathering. The MSS often uses other governmental agencies to conduct operations. One of their biggest initiatives is cyber espionage and sabotage. The MSS heavily monitors their own citizens and they've also been linked to operations in other countries. In recent years, the ultra-secretive MSS began to make its public persona more prominent by creating social media accounts, promotional videos, and even a comic book.
#4: Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)
India In 1962, the Sino-Indian War took place, and the Indian military slammed the foreign intelligence provided by their Intelligence Bureau. In 1968, this led to the creation of the Research and Analysis Wing. However, due to RAW only answering to the Prime Minister, there were fears the group could overstep and become like the KGB. One of RAW’s main foreign targets has been Pakistan. The group has undertaken many covert missions in this regard. After the 2008 Mumbai attacks, RAW reportedly began stepping up its role in international espionage. In 2023, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh separatist leader, was assassinated in Canada, and there are serious and credible allegations from Canada and the U.S. that RAW was responsible.
#3: Secret Intelligence Service (MI6)
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United Kingdom Made famous by the character of James Bond, the Secret Intelligence Service has existed since 1909. During World War Two, the name Military Intelligence, Section 6, was used, birthing the MI6 moniker it’s known today. The UK group specializes in foreign covert operations and intelligence gathering, which was vital during the World Wars. But the organization has been embarrassed from within. Several MI6 agents, known as the Cambridge Five, were found to be spies for the Soviet Union. (Xref) The Security Service, also known as MI5, is the branch that tackles intelligence within the UK borders.
#2: Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations (Mossad)
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Israel Formed in 1949, Israel’s Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations, better known as Mossad, focuses on intelligence gathering and covert operations. With the director only answering to the Prime Minister, Mossad has high status and prominence in Israel. Famously, Mossad was involved in finding and capturing Adolf Eichmann in Argentina in 1960, a leading figure in Germany’s atrocities in World War Two. The Mossad also organized assassinations around the world as revenge for the terrorist attacks at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, as dramatized in Steven Spielberg’s “Munich.” The situation in the Middle East in 2024 means the Mossad is never far from the headlines. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Canada Formed in 1984, the CSIS Gathers International Information and Conducts Covert Operations National Security Agency (NSA), USA Created in 1952, the NSA Specializes in Global and Domestic Monitoring of Information General Intelligence Presidency (GIP) - Saudi Arabia Established in 1955, the GIP Operates Both Domestically and Internationally
#1: Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
USA After the Office of Strategic Services was dissolved after World War Two, the US wanted a group that specialized in foreign intelligence gathering and covert operations, as tensions with the USSR grew. So, in 1947, the CIA was formed. With the FBI domestically focused, the CIA quickly began conducting missions abroad. The group has been linked to coups in many countries, including Iran and Chile. The CIA famously tried to involve themselves with Cuba, with the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and numerous attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro. The CIA was also behind the controversial and illegal Project MK-ULTRA, a human experimentation program designed to research interrogation tactics. Which intelligence agency do you think is the most powerful? Let us know in the comments.
