Counterintelligence
Counter-espionage describes the activities of security authorities to investigate and fight foreign spies in their own country in order to protect state secrets . It includes the defense against espionage , sabotage and other active measures (e.g. political influence) by foreign intelligence services . The organizational units entrusted with this task are also called counter-espionage.
The counterintelligence has to be distinguished from the concept of counterintelligence. It describes the collection and analysis of information with the aim of gaining knowledge about the structures, methods, means and intentions of foreign intelligence services. This also includes the recruitment of their employees as double agents .
Personal and material security is aimed at preventing espionage, i.e. begins before counter-espionage. Raising the awareness of those who carry secrets about the dangers of being spied on and approached by opposing intelligence services is sometimes also included under the term counter-espionage.
Counter-espionage is not only aimed at warding off attacks on government secrets. It should also protect against espionage activities against one's own economy, on the one hand to avoid competitive disadvantages and on the other hand to prevent the leakage of knowledge about defense technology . This also includes technologies that are suitable for producing weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems.
Counterintelligence in Germany
All German intelligence services are involved in counter-espionage. In principle, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution is responsible in accordance with Section 3 (1) No. 2 BVerfSchG . The state authorities for the protection of the constitution also have this competence. The Military Counterintelligence defends under § 1 1 para. 1 no. 2 MAD-law espionage against the division of the Ministry of Defense from, including the Bundeswehr missions abroad belong. In accordance with the BND law, the Federal Intelligence Service is responsible for fighting espionage directed against itself.
As part of the security and law enforcement is also the police , especially the Federal and the state criminal police offices , involved. On the part of the public prosecutor's office , only the Federal Public Prosecutor at the Federal Court of Justice is authorized to prosecute espionage offenses ( Section 142a (1) sentence 1 GVG ). These include treason ( § 94 StGB ) and secret service agent activity ( § 99 StGB). You will be indicted before the higher regional courts , which in organ lending according to Art. 96 Para. 5 No. 5 Basic Law i. V. m. Exercise federal jurisdiction in accordance with Section 120 (6) GVG.
Counterintelligence Authorities in Other States
| country | Counterintelligence Agency |
|---|---|
| Australia | Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) |
| Brazil | Agência Brasileira de Inteligência (Abin) |
| Europe | Counterintelligence Command Central Europe (since November 11, 2014) |
| France | Direction de la surveillance du territoire (DST) |
| Great Britain |
MI5 MI6 |
| India | Intelligence Bureau |
| Israel | Shin Bet |
| Italy |
Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Interna Centro Intelligence Interforze |
| Canada | Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) |
| Austria | Defense Office |
| Pakistan | Inter-Services Intelligence |
| Portugal | Serviço de Informações e Segurança (SIS) |
| Romania | Serviciul Român de Informații (SRI) |
| Russia | FSB |
| Sweden | Swedish Security Service (Säpo) |
| Switzerland |
Federal Intelligence Service (NDB) Military Police Shielding Detachment (MPAD) |
| South Africa | National Intelligence Agency (NIA) |
| Turkey | WITH |
| United States |
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) |
literature
- Publications of the BfV on counter-espionage. In: https://www.verfassungsschutz.de/ . BfV, accessed on February 1, 2019 .
- Henry Nitschke: The counter-espionage of the GDR - means and methods against attacks by western secret services . edition berolina, Berlin 2018, ISBN 978-3-95841-092-3 .
- Gunter Warg: Counterintelligence / Security . In: Jan-Hendrik Dietrich, Sven-R. Eiffler (Hrsg.): Handbook of the law of the intelligence services . Boorberg, Stuttgart 2017, ISBN 978-3-415-05921-4 , pp. 657-722 .
- Gert Buchheit: The German Secret Service - Counter-Espionage in the Third Reich . Lindenbaum-Verlag, Beltheim 2010, ISBN 978-3-938176-21-4 .
Web links
- Counter-espionage and anti-proliferation. In: verfassungsschutz.de. Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Individual evidence
- ^ Helmut Roewer, Stefan Schäfer, Matthias Uhl: Lexicon of secret services in the 20th century . with 1465 illustrations and organizational charts. Herbig, Munich 2003, ISBN 978-3-7766-2317-8 , pp. 435 f .
- ^ Helmut Roewer, Stefan Schäfer, Matthias Uhl: Lexicon of secret services in the 20th century . with 1465 illustrations and organizational charts. Herbig, Munich 2003, ISBN 978-3-7766-2317-8 , pp. 159 f .
- ^ Helmut Roewer, Stefan Schäfer, Matthias Uhl: Lexicon of secret services in the 20th century . with 1465 illustrations and organizational charts. Herbig, Munich 2003, ISBN 978-3-7766-2317-8 , pp. 161 .