ABSTRACT
It is not enough for intelligence agencies to discover the secrets of their adversaries; in order to gain decision advantage, they must also protect their own secrets. Indeed, throughout history, spies like Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen have done considerable damage to U.S. national security. The function of keeping one’s sensitive intelligence out of the hands of others is termed “counterintelligence” (CI). Every Intelligence Community agency pursues CI in one way or another. CI can be both “offensive” and “defensive.” Defensively, agencies conduct background checks on prospective employees to gauge their loyalty and trustworthiness; they also classify intelligence and information according to one of three levels: Confidential, Secret, and Top Secret. Offensively, agencies can attempt to confuse adversaries through disinformation-the intentional release of incorrect information. Domestically, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is chiefly responsible for rooting out foreign spies and detecting Americans like Ames and Hanssen who may wish to betray their country.
