The Indian Intelligence Community (IIC) is a complex multi-layered network of intelligence agencies and their subordinate offices designed to conduct law enforcement, counterintelligence, foreign intelligence, internal security, military intelligence, financial intelligence and covert operations to protect the national security interests of the Republic of India. The oversight of intelligence operations in India are delegated by multiple agencies, responsible for work within their specific fields that disclose intelligence to their respective ministry.
The IIC is overseen by an National Security Advisor (NSA) which directly advises the Prime Minister of India on national security policy and international affairs. The NSA and the National Security Council Secretariat oversees the functioning of the IIC, which includes agencies such as the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), Intelligence Bureau (IB), and National Investigation Agency (NIA). The NSA plays a key role in coordinating the efforts of these agencies, ensuring that national security policies are aligned with the interests of India.
Agencies
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
|-
!
! Organization
! Ministry / Department
! Type
! Intelligence discipline
|-
|
| National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO)
| rowspan="1" | Prime Minister's Office
| Engineering / Technical / Scientific / Strategic<br>Global Surveillance
| SIGINT, IMINT, MASINT, TECHINT, ELINT, COMINT
|-
|50x50px
| Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW)
| rowspan="4" | Cabinet Secretariat
| External
| HUMINT, SIGINT, OSINT
|-
|
| └─ Aviation Research Centre (ARC)
| External (Aerial Reconnaissance)
| IMINT, SIGINT
|-
|
| └─ Electronics and Technical Services (ETS)
| External Technical
| ELINT, SIGINT, TECHINT
|-
|
| └─ Radio Research Centre (RRC)
| External Signals
| COMINT, SIGINT
|-
|57x57px
| Intelligence Bureau (IB)
| rowspan="4" | Ministry of Home Affairs
| Internal
| HUMINT, SIGINT, OSINT
|-
|57x57px
| National Investigation Agency (NIA)
| Counter-terrorism
| HUMINT, TECHINT, FININT
|-
|50x50px
| Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)
| Narcotics / Criminal
| HUMINT, FININT
|-
|
| Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre
| Cyber
| OSINT, TECHINT
|-
|50x50px
| Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
| rowspan="1" | Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
| Criminal intelligence
| HUMINT, FININT
|-
|
| Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA)
| rowspan="7" | Ministry of Defence
| Armed Forces
| HUMINT, SIGINT, IMINT, MASINT, TECHINT
|-
|50x50px
| └─ Directorate of Military Intelligence
| Indian Army
| HUMINT, TECHINT
|-
|
| └─ Directorate of Naval Intelligence
| Indian Navy
| HUMINT, SIGINT
|-
|
| └─ Directorate of Air Intelligence
| Indian Air Force
| IMINT, SIGINT
|-
|
| Joint Cipher Bureau (JCB)
| Signals / Cryptology
| SIGINT
|-
|
| Signals Intelligence Directorate
| Signals
| SIGINT
|-
|
| Central Monitoring Organisation
| Technical Monitoring
| SIGINT, TECHINT
|-
|
| Economic Intelligence Council
| rowspan="9" | Ministry of Finance|| Economic Coordination || FININT
|-
|50x50px
| Central Economic Intelligence Bureau || Economic || FININT, OSINT
|-
|
| Enforcement Directorate (ED) || Financial Enforcement,<br> Prevention of Money Laundering,<br>Foreign Exchange Management,<br>Investigation of Fugitive Economic Offender,<br> Investigation of Terrorism financing || FININT, HUMINT, OSINT, TECHINT
|-
|
| Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) || Narcotics / Economic Offences || FININT, HUMINT
|-
|
| Directorate General of Income Tax Investigation || Tax / Economic Offences || FININT, HUMINT
|-
|
| Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) || Financial Transactions Analysis || FININT
|-
|
| Directorate of Income Tax Intelligence and Criminal Investigation || Direct Tax Evasion || FININT, HUMINT
|-
|
| Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) || Indirect Tax Evasion || FININT, HUMINT
|-
|65x65px
| Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) || Anti-Smuggling / Customs || FININT, HUMINT
|-
|
| Telecom Enforcement Resource and Monitoring (TERM)
| rowspan="1" | Ministry of Communications
| Telecom Monitoring
| SIGINT
|-
|
| National Cyber Coordination Centre
| rowspan="1" | Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
| Cyber Security
| SIGINT, TECHINT
|-
|
| All India Radio Monitoring Service
| rowspan="1" | Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
| Radio Monitoring
| SIGINT
|}
National Technical Research Organization
The National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) is a technical intelligence agency under the National Security Advisor in the Prime Minister's Office, India. It was set up in 2004. It also includes the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) and the National Institute of Cryptology Research and Development (NICRD) for cryptologic education and research, which is first of its kind in Asia.
Research and Analysis Wing
Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) is the primary foreign intelligence agency of India. The agency's primary function is gathering foreign intelligence, counter-terrorism, counterproliferation, advising Indian policymakers, and advancing India's foreign strategic interests. It is also involved in the security of India's nuclear programme.
Aviation Research Centre
thumb|Cameras of [[MiG-25RB for aerial surveillance]]
The Aviation Research Centre (ARC) is a part of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) of the Cabinet Secretariat (Special Requirements) India. The first head of the ARC was R. N. Kao, the founding chief of R&AW. Over the years the ARC has grown into a large operation and flies a large and varied fleet.
Aerial surveillance, SIGINT operations, photo reconnaissance flights (PHOTINT), monitoring of borders, imagery intelligence (IMINT) are the main functions of the Aviation Research Centre (ARC). The aircraft are fitted with state-of-the-art electronic surveillance equipment and long range cameras capable of taking pictures of targets from very high altitudes. ARC also takes the responsibility along with the IAF to transport Special Frontier Force (SFF) commandos from their trans-location at Sarsawa, 250 km north of New Delhi, though the SFF's own base is in Chakrata in Uttarakhand state.
Radio Research Centre
The Radio Research Centre (RRC) is a part of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) of the Cabinet Secretariat (Special Requirements) India. The RRC is a premier communication and signal intelligence agency of India. RRC's tasks include – communication with the embassies abroad, send cyphered code to agents stationed abroad, interception fixed line and wireless communication and the department closely works with the Joint Cypher Bureau. The RRC has offices all across the country and the perform the intercepts communication and sends code.
Electronics and Technical Services
The Electronics and Technical Services (ETS) is the Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) arm of India's external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW). Established in the mid-1980s under the leadership of then R&AW's chief N. F. Suntook, the organisation, it is housed in the CGO complex in New Delhi. ETS is believed to be involved in ELINT roles, not restricted but also includes jamming and spoofing - Electronic Warfare (EW). ETS also involved in Electronic Surveillance Measures (ESMs), Telemetry (TELINT), Tracking and monitoring data links, interception and monitoring of navigation signals and other ELINT and EW methods.
Intelligence Bureau
The Intelligence Bureau (IB) is India's internal intelligence agency. The Intelligence Bureau (IB) (Hindi: आसूचना ब्यूरो; IAST: āsūcanā byūro) is India's domestic internal security and counter-intelligence agency under Ministry of Home Affairs. It was founded in 1887 as Serval Intelligence Branch, and is reputed to be the oldest such organization in the world.
National Investigation Agency
National Cyber Coordination Centre
The National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC) is an operational cybersecurity and e-surveillance agency in India. It is intended to screen communication metadata and co-ordinate the intelligence gathering activities of other agencies.
Directorate of Revenue Intelligence
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) is an Indian intelligence agency. It is India's apex anti-smuggling intelligence, investigations and operations agency. The DRI is run by officers from the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) who are posted in its various Zonal Units as well as in Indian embassies abroad as part of the Customs Overseas Intelligence Network. It is headed by a Director General of the rank of Special Secretary to the Government of India. The Agency works to secure India's national and economic security by preventing the outright smuggling of contraband such as firearms, gold, narcotics, counterfeit Indian currency notes, antiques, wildlife and environmental products. Moreover, it also works to prevent the proliferation of black money, trade based money laundering and commercial frauds.
Joint Cipher Bureau
All India Radio Monitoring Service
All India Radio Monitoring Service (AIRMS) is the central monitoring service that monitors broadcasts in India as well as from all foreign broadcasts of Interest to India. AIRMS is located in Shimla. It works in liaison with R&AW and Military intelligence.
Defence Intelligence Agency
The Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) was established on 5 March 2002 with the appointment of Lt. General Kamal Davar as the first Director General (DG). The DG reports to the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). It is supposed to be the nodal agency for all defence-related intelligence, thus distinguishing it from the R&AW. Much of the agency's budget and operations are classified.
DIA has control of MoD's prized technical intelligence assets – the Directorate of Signals Intelligence and the Defence Image Processing and Analysis Centre (DIPAC). While the Signals Directorate is responsible for acquiring and decrypting enemy communications, the DIPAC controls India's satellite-based image acquisition capabilities. The DIA also controls the Defence Information Warfare Agency (DIWA) which handles all elements of the information warfare repertoire, including psychological operations, cyber-war, electronic intercepts and the monitoring of sound waves. Before the creation of the Defence Intelligence Agency, the military intelligence capability of India's armed forces was limited to Field Intelligence Units (FIU) and separate intelligence arms of the services. These distinct services were not able to effectively coordinate intelligence operations and sharing of information. The armed forces also heavily relied on civilian intelligence agencies such as the Research and Analysis Wing and the Intelligence Bureau. TERM is made up of 34 cells in India's 22 telecom circles and 10 large telecom districts. The main functions of TERM Cells are vigilance, monitoring and security of the network. Apart from this, TERM Cells also operate the Central Monitoring System (CMS), a clandestine mass electronic surveillance program, and carry out other functions.
See also
- Indian Computer Emergency Response Team
- Central Monitoring System
- Central Bureau of Investigation
- Criminal Investigation Department (India)
- NETRA
- Enforcement Directorate
- Law enforcement in India
- Anti Terrorism Squad
- Mass surveillance in India
- Multi Agency Centre (India)
- NATGRID
- National Investigation Agency
- NIA Most Wanted
- National Crime Records Bureau
- Bharatpol
References
Further reading
- Military Intelligence in India: An Analysis Bhashyam Kasturi: The Indian Defence Review, 1997
- Cryptography Technology and Policy Directions in the Context of NII Gulshan Rai, R.K.Dubash, and A.K.Chakravarti. Information Technology Group Dept. of Electronics Govt. of India December, 1997