Top 10 Intelligence Agencies in the World – Abstract

An intelligence agency is an organization charged with the collection and analysis of information related to national security, diplomacy, economy, and military activities of other nations and non-state actors for the purpose of advising the government of the country about these matters. It works like a secret agent. Almost every country has its own intelligence agencies. The principal objective of these agencies are to protect their country. These agencies have many agents in many different countries. Those give the information to these about the other countries . This article lists the top 10 best and most powerful intelligence agencies in the world in 2022.

List of Top 10 Intelligence Agencies in the World

1. Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI)
2. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
3. Ministry of State Security (MSS)
4. Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)
5. Australian Secret Intelligence (ASIS)
6. Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)
7. Mossad
8. Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE)
9. Federal Intelligence Service (BND)
10. Federal Security Service (FSB)

A brief description of each is described below.

1. Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI)

• Country: Pakistan
• Founder: Robert Cawthome
• Established In: 1948
• Chief: Lieutenant General Nadeem Anjum
• Headquarters: Islamabad
• Annual Budget: Classified

One of the best agency in the world is Inter-Service Intelligence. It is the premier intelligence agency in Pakistan and the most powerful in the world. It’s responsible for gathering, processing, and analyzing the information. They always protect their country worldwide. The ISI reports to its Director General and its first priority is to give information to the government. There are further more departments in ISI that they work on different fields like some works for anti drugs, international issues and internal security of country etc. Their headquarter is in Aabpara, Islamabad. His child agency is called Covert Action Division (they can include political and economic actions, propagandas campaigns against enemy countries).

 

2. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

• Country: United States
• Founder: Harry S. Truman
• Established In: July 26, 1947
• Chief: William J. Burns
• Headquarters: Langley, McLean, Virginia
• Annual Budget: $15 billion USD

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is the second most powerful agency in the world. It is the most famous and influential secret service.  Headquartered in Langley, Virginia, west of Washington, the CIA is leading technology and power to the other intelligence services in the United States, including the National Security Agency (NASA), the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), and the Federal Bureau of Information (FBI).  It’s not wrong if we say that it’s the most powerful agency. The main purpose of CIA is to collect, analyze and transmit foreign intelligence and take action against it. The main priority of CIA is Counterterrorism, cyber intelligence and nonproliferation.

 

3. Ministry of State Security (MSS)

• Country: China
• Founder: Li Kenong
• Established In: 1949
• Chief: Xiong Xianghui
• Headquarters: China
• Annual Budget: $8 million USD

MSS is a Chinese agency. It headquarters is in Beijing. It’s the third most powerful agency. It is also the other 17 bureaus in China. The most popular bureaus of MSS are the counterintelligence division and the social research division. It’s the China’s most powerful organization. It protects their country from the other countries. The agency also handles internal threats like citizens revolting against China’s ruling party, the Communist Party. The MSS conducts operations both domestic and foreign in the name of national security.

 

4. Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)

• Country: India
• Founder: N. Kao, Indira Gandhi
• Established In: September 21, 1968
• Chief: Samant Goel
• Headquarters: New Delhi, India
• Annual Budget: Classified

The Research and Analysis Wing is the foreign intelligence agency of India. The agency’s primary function is gathering foreign intelligence, counter-terrorism, counter-proliferation, advising Indian policymakers, and advancing India’s foreign strategic interests. RAW protect India against terrorism and nuclear attacks. It was established in 1968. His parent wing is Cabinet Secretariat.  Its headquarters is in New Delhi, India. The operation spanned 3 countries and involved 80 Research officers in the world.

 

5. Australian Secret Intelligence (ASIS)

• Country: Australia
• Founder: Robert Menzies
• Established In: May 13, 1952
• Chief: G. Casey
• Headquarters: Canberra
• Annual Budget: A$637.5 million

Australian Secret Intelligence Service, aka ASIS, is the Australian government intelligence agency responsible for collecting foreign intelligence, undertaking counter-intelligence activities, and cooperating with other intelligence agencies overseas. Its primary responsibility is gathering intelligence from mainly Asian and Pacific interests using agents stationed in a wide variety of areas. ASIS is running anti-people smuggling operations in different countries. It also take part in counter intelligence activities and cooperate with other intelligence agencies in the world.

 

6. Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)

• Country: Canadian
• Founder: Arleigh Burke, David Manker Abshire
• Established In: June 21, 1984
• Chief: David Vigneault
• Headquarters: Washington
• Annual Budget: C$649.9 million

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a think tank based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. CSIS was founded as the Center for Strategic and International Studies of Georgetown University in 1962. The center conducts policy studies and strategic analyses of political, economic, and security issues throughout the world, with a specific focus on issues concerning international relations like trade, technology, finance, energy, and geostrategy. Its headquarters is in Washington, D.C, United States. Arleigh Burke and David Manker Abshire founded it in 1962.

 

7. Mossad

• Country: Israel
• Founder: David Ben-Gurion
• Established In: December 13, 1949
• Chief: Benjamin Netanyahu
• Headquarters: Tel Aviv-Yafo
• Annual Budget: $2.73 billion USD

Mossad is the national agency of Israel. Israel is also known all around the world for their technology. It is one of the main entities in the Israeli Intelligence Community, along with Aman and Shin Bet. Mossad is responsible for intelligence collection, covert operations, and counter-terrorism. Its director answers directly and only to the Prime Minister. David Barnea is the founder of Mossad. He founded it in 1949. His annual budget is $2.13 billion USD. There are almost 7,000 thousand agents are in the Mossad. Israel is ranked in the world safest country due to their technology and secret agents.

 

8. Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE)

• Country: France
• Founder: Jacques Soustelle
• Established In: April 2, 1982
• Chief: Bernard Enie
• Headquarters: Paris
• Annual Budget: Classified

The Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE) deals. DGSE operates under the direction of the French Ministry of Armed Force. DGSE mainly deals with foreign intelligence and issues, with the Directorate-General for Internal Security handling domestic affairs. The DGSE conducts all manners of activities and operations relating to national security, which include running human intelligence operations and signals intelligence operations. It is a powerful agency with 6,400 agents. It headquarters is in Paris, France. The government of France is its jurisdiction of it.

 

9. Federal Intelligence Service (BND)

• Country: Germany
• Founder: Robert Hagelin
• Established In: April 1, 1956
• Chief: Bruno Kahl
• Headquarters: Berlin
• Annual Budget: $1.3 billion USD

In the list of top 10 agencies of the world, the Federal Intelligence Service is in the top 9th. It is the first agency that has almost 300 headquarters. Its main BND headquarter is in Berlin. German Chancellery is the parent agency of BND. Bruno Kahl is president of it. It is a powerful agency with almost 7,000 agents. BND works against proliferation and illegal transfer of weapons and other technologies. It also gather information on terrorism, nuclear weapons or mass distraction and also control the illegal human trafficking.

 

10. Federal Security Service (FSB)

• Country: Russia
• Founder: Boris Yeltsin
• Established In: Aprilc3, 1995
• Chief: Alexander Bortnikov
• Headquarters: Moscow
• Annual Budget: Classified

The Russian agency was established in 1995. Its founder gives it the name Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSD). Its headquarters are at the old KGB’s main building on Lubyanka Square in Moscow’s downtown. The head of the Federal Security Service (FSB) is chosen by and directly accountable to Russia’s president, according to the Federal Law “On the Federal Security Service” of 1995. This is the last 10th powerful agency in the world. That was founded in 1995. It has classified employees. This agency works for internal and border security and surveillance   the country.

 

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Top 10 Intelligence Agencies in the World – Conclusion

These are the Top 10 Intelligence Agencies in the World.