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I thought it would be helpful to make a thread about various intelligence terms and define them since the majority of the posters here are likely unfamiliar with these terms, and also in light of the political/information warfare that is underway in Armenia via Western proxies like armenianow and rfe/rl. Please feel free to add other applicable terms with the definitions, if they are not already listed below.
Active measures- were clandestine operations designed to further Soviet foreign policy goals and to extend Soviet influence throughout the world. Active measures cause a target to act against its interests. Chief among these covert techniques was disinformation: leaking of false information and rumors to foreign media or planting forgeries in an attempt to deceive the public or the political elite in a given country or countries and supporting terrorists or insurgents.
Agent of influence- an agent whose task is to spread disinformation or propaganda. An agent of influence may be a trusted contact who actively serves a foreign interest on some matters while seemingly retaining his integrity to his domestic community on others.
Agitprop- is designed to engage emotional support
Counterespionage- is spying directed against an enemy's spy system; Espionage undertaken to detect and counteract enemy espionage.
Counterintelligence - is the activity of preventing the enemy from obtaining secret information, such as careful classification and control of sensitive information and spreading disinformation ; efforts made by organizations to prevent hostile or enemy organizations from successfully gathering and collecting intelligence against them
Disinformation- is the spreading of deliberately false information to mislead an enemy as to one's position or course of action. It also includes the distortion of true information in such a way as to render it useless. Disinformation techniques may also be found in commerce and government, used by one group to try to undermine the position of a competitor. Disinformation is designed to manipulate the audience at the rational level by either discrediting conflicting information or supporting false conclusions.
Fifth column-aclandestine subversive organization working within a country to further an invading enemy's military and political aims. First applied in 1936 to rebel sympathizers inside Madrid when four columns of rebel troops were attacking that city.
Ideological warfare- actions taken to discredit an opponent's ideology and spread one's own. This war takes place by means of school curriculums, general education, media, small and large size publications, and other such channels that influence the thoughts of its people.
Information operations- the integrated employment of the core capabilities of electronic warfare, computer network operations, psychological operations, military deception, and operations security, in concert with specified supporting and related capabilities, to influence, disrupt, corrupt or usurp adversarial human and automated decision making while protecting our own. Also called IO.
Information warfare- is the use and management of information in pursuit of a competitive advantage over an opponent. Information warfare may involve collection of tactical information, assurance(s) that one's own information is valid, spreading of propaganda or disinformation to demoralize the enemy and the public, undermining the quality of opposing force information and denial of information-collection opportunities to opposing forces.
Netwar- is a term developed by RAND researchers John Arquilla and David Ronfeldt to describe an emergent form of low intensity conflict, crime, and activism waged by social networked actors. Typical netwar actors might include transnational terrorists, criminal organizations, activist groups, and social movements that employ decentralized, flexible network structures.
NOCs- No Official Cover: refers to intelligence agents who operate without the official cover as member of the embassy/ mission of their country. Generally used only for deep cover spies who operate without the benefit of diplomatic immunity.
Political warfare- the use of political means to compel an opponent to do one's will, political being understood to describe purposeful intercourse between peoples and governments affecting national survival and relative advantage. Political war may be combined with violence, economic pressure, subversion, and diplomacy, but its chief aspect is the use of words, images, and ideas, commonly known, according to context, as propaganda and psychological warfare.
Propaganda (White, Black, Gray)- white propaganda is the most common type; it truthfully identifies its source, generally an open source; it is not intentionally deceptive. Black propaganda is the opposite. It pretends to be from a friendly source but is actually from an enemy and intended to deceive the audience. Gray propaganda, the source is unidentified.
Psychological warfare (PSYOPS)- operations which convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals. The purpose of psychological operations is to induce or reinforce foreign attitudes and behavior favorable to the originator's objectives. PSYOPS is usually deployed in support of tactical military operations on the ground. As such, it is a tool of political warfare and must be coordinated with the overall political strategy.
Public diplomacy- the entire array of diplomatic instruments – cultural, educational, political, ideological, information, and intelligence – designed to have relations with, and influence over, foreign societies, foreign publics, and foreign opinion leaders, with the ultimate effect of influencing foreign opinion.
Subversion- an action designed to undermine the military, economic, psychological, or political strength or morale of a regime. Subversion refers to an attempt to overthrow structures of authority, including the state. Subversive activity can include the lending of aid, comfort, and moral support to individuals, groups, or organizations that advocate the overthrow of incumbent governments by force and violence; Subversion refers to an attempt to overthrow structures of authority, including the state. It is an overturning or uprooting.
Trial balloon- information sent out in order to observe the reaction of an audience. It can be used by companies sending out press releases to judge reaction by customers, or it can be used by politicians who deliberately leak information on a policy change under consideration. In politics trial balloons often take the form of an intentional news "leak" to assess public opinion.
Active measures- were clandestine operations designed to further Soviet foreign policy goals and to extend Soviet influence throughout the world. Active measures cause a target to act against its interests. Chief among these covert techniques was disinformation: leaking of false information and rumors to foreign media or planting forgeries in an attempt to deceive the public or the political elite in a given country or countries and supporting terrorists or insurgents.
Agent of influence- an agent whose task is to spread disinformation or propaganda. An agent of influence may be a trusted contact who actively serves a foreign interest on some matters while seemingly retaining his integrity to his domestic community on others.
Agitprop- is designed to engage emotional support
Counterespionage- is spying directed against an enemy's spy system; Espionage undertaken to detect and counteract enemy espionage.
Counterintelligence - is the activity of preventing the enemy from obtaining secret information, such as careful classification and control of sensitive information and spreading disinformation ; efforts made by organizations to prevent hostile or enemy organizations from successfully gathering and collecting intelligence against them
Disinformation- is the spreading of deliberately false information to mislead an enemy as to one's position or course of action. It also includes the distortion of true information in such a way as to render it useless. Disinformation techniques may also be found in commerce and government, used by one group to try to undermine the position of a competitor. Disinformation is designed to manipulate the audience at the rational level by either discrediting conflicting information or supporting false conclusions.
Fifth column-aclandestine subversive organization working within a country to further an invading enemy's military and political aims. First applied in 1936 to rebel sympathizers inside Madrid when four columns of rebel troops were attacking that city.
Ideological warfare- actions taken to discredit an opponent's ideology and spread one's own. This war takes place by means of school curriculums, general education, media, small and large size publications, and other such channels that influence the thoughts of its people.
Information operations- the integrated employment of the core capabilities of electronic warfare, computer network operations, psychological operations, military deception, and operations security, in concert with specified supporting and related capabilities, to influence, disrupt, corrupt or usurp adversarial human and automated decision making while protecting our own. Also called IO.
Information warfare- is the use and management of information in pursuit of a competitive advantage over an opponent. Information warfare may involve collection of tactical information, assurance(s) that one's own information is valid, spreading of propaganda or disinformation to demoralize the enemy and the public, undermining the quality of opposing force information and denial of information-collection opportunities to opposing forces.
Netwar- is a term developed by RAND researchers John Arquilla and David Ronfeldt to describe an emergent form of low intensity conflict, crime, and activism waged by social networked actors. Typical netwar actors might include transnational terrorists, criminal organizations, activist groups, and social movements that employ decentralized, flexible network structures.
NOCs- No Official Cover: refers to intelligence agents who operate without the official cover as member of the embassy/ mission of their country. Generally used only for deep cover spies who operate without the benefit of diplomatic immunity.
Political warfare- the use of political means to compel an opponent to do one's will, political being understood to describe purposeful intercourse between peoples and governments affecting national survival and relative advantage. Political war may be combined with violence, economic pressure, subversion, and diplomacy, but its chief aspect is the use of words, images, and ideas, commonly known, according to context, as propaganda and psychological warfare.
Propaganda (White, Black, Gray)- white propaganda is the most common type; it truthfully identifies its source, generally an open source; it is not intentionally deceptive. Black propaganda is the opposite. It pretends to be from a friendly source but is actually from an enemy and intended to deceive the audience. Gray propaganda, the source is unidentified.
Psychological warfare (PSYOPS)- operations which convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals. The purpose of psychological operations is to induce or reinforce foreign attitudes and behavior favorable to the originator's objectives. PSYOPS is usually deployed in support of tactical military operations on the ground. As such, it is a tool of political warfare and must be coordinated with the overall political strategy.
Public diplomacy- the entire array of diplomatic instruments – cultural, educational, political, ideological, information, and intelligence – designed to have relations with, and influence over, foreign societies, foreign publics, and foreign opinion leaders, with the ultimate effect of influencing foreign opinion.
Subversion- an action designed to undermine the military, economic, psychological, or political strength or morale of a regime. Subversion refers to an attempt to overthrow structures of authority, including the state. Subversive activity can include the lending of aid, comfort, and moral support to individuals, groups, or organizations that advocate the overthrow of incumbent governments by force and violence; Subversion refers to an attempt to overthrow structures of authority, including the state. It is an overturning or uprooting.
Trial balloon- information sent out in order to observe the reaction of an audience. It can be used by companies sending out press releases to judge reaction by customers, or it can be used by politicians who deliberately leak information on a policy change under consideration. In politics trial balloons often take the form of an intentional news "leak" to assess public opinion.
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