The focus of the discussions that are presented in this paper is on the threat posed to the United States by foreign intelligence services. "Foreign intelligence services", as the term is used in the discussions that are presented in this paper, are interpreted to include (a) formally constituted state intelligence agencies and (b) non-state intelligence services. Non-state intelligence services, as considered in the discussions that are presented in this paper, refer to intelligence activities conducts by organizations such as al-Qaida and Hezbollah.
The principal objective of the discussions that are presented in this paper is to identify the foreign intelligence service that represents the greatest threat to the United States. The term "greatest threat", as the term is used in the discussions that are presented in this paper, refers to the potential relative strength of the threat of any negative impact on the national security of the United States that is represented by the actions of a foreign intelligence service. "National security" is a broad term. As the term is used in the discussions that are presented in this paper, this term applies to terrorist attacks, paramilitary attacks, or strategic military actions that may be directed against the United States. Such attacks may be directed toward (a) United States armed forces, (b) the civilian population of the United States, (c) infrastructure of any type in the United States, (d) the economy of the United States, or (e) the global position of the United States (political, economic, financial, social, or military).
The Foreign Intelligence Agency That Represents the Greatest Threat to United States National Security
Several criteria must be considered when assessing which foreign intelligence service represents the greatest potential threat to United States national security. The first criterion is the capacity of a foreign intelligence services ...