UK Intelligence and Security Services

UK INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY SERVICES

The United Kingdom has three intelligence and security services, collectively known as the Agencies - the Security Service, SIS and GCHQ. The operations and functions of all three have been placed on a statutory basis, GCHQ and SIS by the provisions of the Intelligence Services Act 1994, and the Security Service under the Security Service Acts 1989 and 1996.

Another important contributor to the central intelligence machinery is the Defence Intelligence Staff, which is an integral part of the Ministry of Defence.

A brief summary of their history and functions is given below:

i. SECURITY SERVICE

The Security Service, also known as MI5, originated in 1909 as the internal arm of the Secret Service Bureau, under Army Captain (later Sir) Vernon Kell, tasked with countering German espionage. In 1931 it assumed wider responsibility for assessing threats to national security which included international communist subversion and, subsequently, fascism. In 1952, in the early stages of the Cold War, the work of the Service and the responsibility of the Director General were defined in a Directive many of whose provisions were later incorporated in the Security Service Act 1989.

Today the Security Service Act forms the statutory basis for the Service, which is placed under the authority of the Home Secretary. The Act also sets out the functions of the Service, as well as certain controls and oversight arrangements. As the UK's domestic security intelligence agency the Service's purpose is to protect the State against substantial, covertly organised threats, primarily from terrorism, espionage and subversion. Most recently, since the passing of the Security Service Act 1996, its role has been expanded to provide support to law enforcement agencies in the field of organised crime. Within the UK intelligence machinery, the Service's role is:

to investigate threats by gathering, analysing and assessing intelligence;

to counter specific threats by taking action, where appropriate in conjunction with others; and

to advise Government and others as necessary on the nature of the threat, and on relevant protective security measures.

The Security Service has no executive powers; cases likely to result in prosecution are co-ordinated closely with the police, or HM Customs and Excise who take the necessary action.

The present Director General of the Security Service is Mr Stephen Lander, who took office in April 1996.

The Service is based at Thames House in London.

A separate booklet is available from HMSO describing the work of the Security Service in more detail.

ii. SIS

The Secret Intelligence Service, sometimes known as MI6, similarly originated in 1909 as the Foreign Section of the Secret Service Bureau, under RNR Commander, later Captain, Sir Mansfield Cumming, which was responsible for gathering intelligence overseas. By 1922 Cumming's section had become a separate Service with the title SIS. Cumming signed himself 'C'; his successors have done so ever since.

The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was established in 1940, partly from the then Section D of SIS. After the War it was disbanded and some of its members were reabsorbed into SIS.

With the passing of the Intelligence Services Act, SIS was placed on a statutory footing under the Foreign & Commonwealth Secretary to whom it is responsible for all aspects of its work. The Act defines the functions of the Service and the responsibilities of its Chief, as well as establishing control and oversight arrangements. The Service's principal role is the production of secret intelligence in support of Her Majesty's Government's security, defence, foreign and economic policies within the framework of requirements laid upon it by the JIC and approved by Ministers. It meets these JIC requirements for intelligence gathering and other tasks through a variety of sources, human and technical, and by liaison with a wide range of foreign intelligence and security services. Specific operations are subject to longstanding procedures for official and ministerial clearance.

The present Chief of the SIS, who took up his appointment in September 1994, is Sir David Spedding.

SIS is based at Vauxhall Cross in London.

iii. GCHQ

GCHQ provides Government Departments and Military Commands with signals intelligence (Sigint) in accordance with requirements laid upon it by the JIC (as for SIS) in support of HMG's security, defence, foreign and economic policies. GCHQ was established in 1946 as the post-War successor of the Government Code and Cipher School which had been the central Sigint organisation since 1919 and had made an outstanding contribution to the War effort at Bletchley Park, for example by decrypting German messages enciphered by the ENIGMA machine. In 1953 GCHQ moved to two sites on the outskirts of Cheltenham, where it continues to be based. The Director of GCHQ is responsible to the Foreign & Commonwealth Secretary for all aspects of its work.

GCHQ derives signal intelligence by monitoring a variety of communications and other signals, such as radars. For this purpose it controls and administers the Composite Signals Organisation which operates from a number of locations in the UK and overseas. Like SIS and the Security Service, it also works in liaison with a range of foreign intelligence and security services.

In addition to providing signals intelligence, GCHQ also provides advice and assistance to Government Departments and the Armed Forces on the security of their communications and information technology systems. This task is undertaken by the Communications Electronics Security Group of GCHQ, who work closely with their customers and industry, as well as with the Security Service, to ensure that official information in such systems is properly protected.

The present Director of GCHQ, who took office in July 1996, is Mr David Omand.

iv. Defence Intelligence Staff

The Defence Intelligence Staff, part of the Ministry of Defence and funded in the usual way within the defence vote, is also an essential element of the central intelligence machinery. It was created in 1964 by the amalgamation of all three service intelligence staffs and the civilian Joint Intelligence Bureau to form an integrated body able to serve the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces and other Government Departments. The task of the DIS is to analyse information from a wide variety of sources, both overt and covert. The Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI) is responsible for the work of the DIS and is charged also with the overall direction of intelligence within the defence community. The current CDI is Lieutenant General Sir John Foley.