Swiss intelligence agencies

  • 4.1 Police authorities within Switzerland, use the intelligence information and resources

Federal Intelligence Service ( FIS )

Since 1 January 2010, in Switzerland there is a new instrument of security policy, the Federal Intelligence Service, short NDB. The new service was created by the merger of the Service for Analysis and Prevention DAP and the Strategic Intelligence Service SND. His boss is the 1968 -born Markus Seiler. He will report directly to the Chief of the Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS), at the moment is the Ueli Maurer.

Tasks of the NDB

  • Procurement of safety- politically significant information about foreign countries and their evaluation
  • Intelligence Services tasks in the field of internal security in accordance BWIS
  • Threat assessment
  • Recognition and control of hazards in the areas of terrorism, espionage, violent extremism and proliferation.
  • Detecting attacks on critical information infrastructures

Partners and service consumers

In Switzerland, these are the political and military leadership, the federal administration, in particular the departments VBS, FOJ, WBF and EDA and the cantons. Abroad, the NDB contacts with over 100 messages, police and security services, maintains world. These bilateral and multilateral contacts are all approved by the Federal Council.

Thematic Areas of Interest

In Switzerland, the terrorism and violent extremism, proliferation, attacks on critical information infrastructures and the forbidden news service. Abroad, the thematic areas of interest of the NDB continue proliferation, terrorism, armed forces development, areas of the army abroad and military technology and arms trade.

Regulatory and legal foundations

The NDB is controlled by Parliament, the Bundesrat, Federal and VBS. In the VBS since January 2009 in VBS established Intelligence Services supervision is mandated to examine the activities of intelligence services on their legality, appropriateness and effectiveness. This controlling body is the Head of Department reports directly and performs its monitoring function independently.

The legal basis for the activities of the NDB are the Federal law on the powers in the area of ​​civilian intelligence service ( ZNDG ), and the Federal Act on Measures to Safeguard Internal Security ( BWIS ).

  • Federal law on the powers of the civilian intelligence service
  • Federal Act on Measures to Safeguard Internal Security

Publications

The NDB annually publishes the annual report "Security Switzerland ".

The NDB has no uniformed police force. The duties of the uniformed police forces are perceived by the Federal Police ' Fedpol ' as well as the police force of the cantons.

Military Intelligence Service ( MND )

The Military Intelligence Service was created from the former Army Intelligence Service ( AND). He supplied the army with information on the course of military operations. The MND works closely with the NDB. His findings support the head of the army in his decisions (including the Federal Council). He also regularly reports on the security situation in Kosovo, as the Swiss Army ( Swisscoy contingent) makes peacebuilding service there.

He also maintains contact with military police forces and all military protection services. The MND works mainly operationally and tactically. The MND is the department " command staff of the army," the Chief of the Army subordinate, which in turn is subordinate to the VBS.

Air Force News Service ( LWND )

The Air Force Intelligence Service has been integrated into the then strategic intelligence service in 2007 and no longer exists as a standalone service

Monitoring of Post and Telecommunications ( ÜPF )

The Monitoring of Post and Telecommunications is an independent service in computer science service center EJPD. He demanded by the telecommunications providers to retention of telephony and email traffic data and wants to be by 2009 to be able to monitor all Internet traffic in Switzerland, especially, what websites are visited by whom, and what files are being transferred from the Internet to Swiss PCs.

The ÜPF is (FOJ ) was assumed since 1 January 2008, the Federal Department of Justice and Police.

The then head of the DBA ( service for special tasks ), Adrien de Werra was in 2002 awarded a Swiss Big Brother Award.

Police authorities within Switzerland, use the intelligence information and resources

In the police forces of the cantons exist also state security departments take over the intelligence tasks. The Switzerland far 80 are financed by the federal government. The state security departments serve the NDB as a contact at the level of cantons. The NDB is further orders for intelligence investigations to the cantons. The results are then collected centrally at the NDB, analyzed and integrated into the ongoing threat assessment.

Counterintelligence

The counter-espionage in Switzerland is the responsibility of the NDB. The military police Abschirmdetachement ( MPAD ) is responsible for counter-intelligence in the military field. The screening service is supported by the security service Military Police ( SDMP ). In the latter, there is a militia formation, consisting of conscripts and is activated only when needed.

Coordination

Coordination is done via a joint working group, which meets every week, and in all the intelligence agencies and representatives, are the Federal Judicial Police.

Staff

The Federal Intelligence Service ( FIS ) and the Military Intelligence Service ( MND ) employ employees from virtually all professional groups. A generally valid requirements for the various intelligence activities does not exist. Generally, however, in addition to thorough training interest in foreign and security policy issues, foreign cultures, language skills and mobility are required. The setting conditions correspond to those of the federal government. Vacancies are advertised in the job recruitment the federal to apply. Work no military officers for the ÜPF.

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