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248:. Case officers emphasize the elements of tradecraft that enable the agent to acquire needed information, and enable the case officer to communicate with and supervise the agent. Most importantly, case officers train agents in methods of avoiding detection by host nation counter-intelligence organizations.
320:, meaning how to establish credible pretexts for their presence and behavior while engaged in collection activities. A well-trained and competent agent can conduct his or her clandestine tasks while under close surveillance, and still evade detection. More advanced agent training can include resistance to
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By definition, an "agent" acts on behalf of another, whether another individual, an organization, or a foreign government. Agents can be considered either witting or unwitting, and in some cases, willing or unwilling. Agents typically work under the direction of a principal agent or a case officer.
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If principles of intelligence tradecraft have not been strictly observed, it is also possible that compromised agents can reveal information that exposes other members of the network. In the real world of espionage, human lapses are very much the norm, and violations of the principles of tradecraft
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A primary purpose of intelligence organizations is to penetrate a target with a human agent, or a network of human agents. Such agents can either infiltrate the target, or be recruited "in place". Case officers are professionally trained employees of intelligence organizations that manage human
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Using a principal agent as a cut-out, and ensuring that the human agent network is organized in a cellular fashion, can provide some protection for other agents in the network, as well as for the principal agent, and for the case officer if an agent in the network is compromised. Assuming that
312:, photography and the emplacement of audio devices, sensors, or other transmitters. Case officers generally train agents one at a time, in isolation, including only those elements of tradecraft needed to penetrate the target at hand. Case officers will also teach agents how to develop
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Sometimes, agent handling is done indirectly, through "principal agents" that serve as proxies for case officers. It is not uncommon, for example, for a case officer to manage a number of principal agents, who in turn handle agent networks, which are preferably organized in a
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A case officer is an intelligence officer who is a trained specialist in the management of agents and agent networks. Case officers manage human agents and human intelligence networks. Case officers spot potential agents, recruit prospective agents and train agents in
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have been strictly observed by the principal agent and the agents in the network, compromised agents will not be able to identify the case officer, nor the other members of the network. Ideally, agents may work side by side in the same office, and conduct their
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The identification of potential agents is termed "agent spotting" (also termed "talent spotting"). Identifying potential agents, and investigating the details of their personal and professional lives, involves the granular verification of their
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Approaches to potential agents can be multitudinous and considerable time can pass before the potential agent is maneuvered into a position where a recruitment "pitch" can be hazarded.
371:, Thomas Patrick Carroll, Syllabus, 5 September 2006 – 24 October 2006—many good definitions with historic examples and timely discussion of problems; in outline form.
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If an agent is able to resist interrogation for a defined period of time, the odds improve that other members of the network can be alerted to the compromise.
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collection activities with such discipline, that they will not realize that they are both engaged in espionage, much less members of the same network.
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that can lead to the identification of a principal agent, the protection provided by cellular network organization can be time-sensitive.
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agents and human agent networks. Intelligence that derives from such human sources is known by the abbreviation
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Since an agent can sometimes identify his or her principal agent, however, or reveal information under
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When agents work alone, and are not members of an agent network, they are termed "singletons".
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Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.
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Counterintelligence and counter-terrorism organizations
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354:, thefreedictionary.com, retrieved 4 March 2009
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893:Operational techniques
848:Special reconnaissance
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177:intelligence officers
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1184:Competing hypotheses
994:Industrial espionage
979:Denial and deception
703:Industrial espionage
503:competing hypotheses
81:improve this article
1247:Counterintelligence
1162:Technical (TECHINT)
1157:Open-source (OSINT)
1147:Geospatial (GEOINT)
1121:Casualty estimation
310:countersurveillance
298:concealment devices
179:typically known as
1219:Military geography
1204:Basic intelligence
1142:Financial (FININT)
1083:signature (MASINT)
1009:One-way voice link
945:Concealment device
654:Cold War espionage
621:Front organization
595:Surveillance tools
573:Phone surveillance
568:One-way voice link
523:Concealment device
187:Human intelligence
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1024:Surveillance
1014:Resident spy
955:Cryptography
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760:Surveillance
548:Cyber spying
533:Cryptography
472:Resident spy
457:Double agent
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79:Please help
74:verification
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41:October 2023
38:
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1096:Geophysical
878:Cell system
865:Clandestine
750:Stay-behind
659:Recruitment
616:Canary trap
514:Devices and
462:Field agent
219:clandestine
1274:Categories
1125:earthquake
989:False flag
827:Collection
745:Sexpionage
725:COINTELPRO
718:safe house
698:False flag
635:Operations
609:techniques
605:Tradecraft
340:References
302:dead drops
263:bona fides
246:tradecraft
214:tradecraft
137:March 2012
107:newspapers
1280:Espionage
1116:Materials
970:Defection
965:Dead drop
938:black bag
903:Espionage
669:black bag
553:Dead drop
482:Spymaster
406:Espionage
271:blackmail
206:"cut-out"
1176:Analysis
974:Turncoat
921:handling
735:SHAMROCK
588:microdot
491:Analysis
328:See also
280:Training
267:coercion
1123: (
1101:Nuclear
1071:TEMPEST
730:MINARET
674:wetwork
175:") by
121:scholar
31:updated
960:Cutout
911:Agents
765:Global
691:MASINT
686:SIGINT
538:Cutout
422:Assets
417:Agents
334:Minder
316:, and
194:HUMINT
173:assets
169:agents
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1135:Other
1106:Radar
950:Cover
928:Asset
916:field
450:Agent
445:Cover
128:JSTOR
114:books
770:Mass
740:FVEY
467:Mole
308:and
100:news
607:and
159:In
83:by
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