Introduction to Counterintelligence Module 8.1

Introduction to Counterintelligence

• Counterintelligence (CI) is the aspect of police intelligence that deals with security measures to safeguard information, personnel, material, and installations against espionage, sabotage, and subversion by foreign nations and dissident groups or individuals that pose a threat to national security.

Definitions

• Espionage: the act or practice of spying, using a spy to discover military or political secrets of other nations.
• Sabotage: destruction of property or obstruction of public service to undermine a government's police or military effort.
• Subversion: an act that seeks to overthrow a constituted government.
• Treason: disloyalty to one's own country by giving away or selling its secrets to the enemy or trying to overthrow its government.
• Sedition: any action promoting or inciting discontent or rebellion against a government.

Components of Counterintelligence

• Physical Security
• Personnel Security
• Document Security
• Communication Security
• Computer Security
• Operational Security

Measures for Effective Counterintelligence (CI)

• Passive (Defensive) CI: measures that conceal information from the enemy, including secrecy discipline, communication security, and concealment/camouflage.
• Active (Offensive) CI: measures that actively block enemy attempts to gain information or engage in espionage, sabotage, or subversion, including detection, prevention, and neutralization.

Broad Categories of CI Operations

• Police Security: measures taken by an office or service to protect itself against espionage, sabotage, or subversion, surprise, or enemy observation, including:
  • Secrecy discipline
  • Special safeguarding of classified information or equipment
  • Security of troop movement
  • Special handling of evaders and escapees
  • Countersubversion within the police service
  • Tactical measures in combat areas

Operational Security

• The operational plan must provide a way out of the worst possible disaster and away from enemy opportunity.
• The operational plan must be as simple as possible.

Problems in Operational Security

• Compromise: the biggest blunder to operational security, occurring when intelligence personalities, operations, or operational techniques are disclosed or identified, destroying the effectiveness of the collection effort.
• Common causes of compromise include:
  • Un-covered operations or unnatural behavior drawing undue attention to the organization.
  • A person with knowledge of the intelligence organization and/or its members giving information to the opposition.
  • Innocent bystanders unknowingly revealing information.