Intelligence agencies can provide the following services for their national governments. • Give early warning of impending crisis; • Serve national and international
crisis management by helping to discern the intentions of current or potential opponents; • Inform national defense planning and
military operations, known as
military intelligence; • Protect sensitive information secrets, both of their own sources and activities, and those of other state agencies; • Covertly influence the outcome of events in favor of
national interests, or influence
international security; and • Defense against the efforts of other national intelligence agencies, known as
counterintelligence. There is a distinction between "security intelligence" and "foreign intelligence". Security intelligence pertains to
domestic security and related threats, including
terrorism and espionage. Foreign intelligence involves information collection relating to the political, or economic activities of foreign states. Some agencies have been involved in
assassination,
arms trafficking,
coups d'état, and the placement of misinformation
propaganda and other
covert and
clandestine operations to support their own or their governments' interests. ==See also==