Espionage is about obtaining information that you are not authorized to have. It’s about deception and manipulation. That’s the plain, naked truth of the matter. I don’t care what you’ve seen in movies. It doesn’t matter how much technology has superficially appeared to change the face of it. Sure, former intelligence operatives like to dress in fine regalia and go on cable news, trying to put a respectable face on the dark art of espionage. I’ve heard a former intelligence officer describe it as state-sanctioned thievery. The more honest intelligence professionals will admit that they steal secrets for a living, often in countries that would execute them for being caught. It is dangerous, often amoral, and illegal work. It entails lying, stealing, cheating, and possibly even abduction, and murder.
Espionage is the practice of obtaining confidential information through spying or secretly influence events through covert action; a practice that often employs covert, clandestine, illegal or unethical behavior. Spies have been used to create political, military, and economic advantage through most of history. Espionage in the military is typically referred to as “military intelligence,” while espionage in the corporate world is termed “industrial espionage.” Most countries have both military intelligence organizations as well as civilian espionage and intelligence organizations. As the world has advanced and human society has changed, the separation into “friend” and “foe” has blurred and changed, and thus the role of espionage has also changed. This course will delve into both secret intelligence gathering and covert action, going in-depth to peer behind the curtain into the shadowy world of espionage. We will explore why espionage is employed, how intelligence is collected, learn how many different kinds of intelligence there are, and learn how you can
