List of

intelligence agencies An intelligence agency is a government agency responsible for the collection, analysis, and exploitation of information in support of law enforcement, national security, military, public safety, and foreign policy objectives. Means of informatio ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

Currently active

* Federal Intelligence Service (BND) (in german: Bundesnachrichtendienst):

foreign Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * Unit ...

and

military intelligence Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist commanders in their decisions. This aim is achieved by providing an assessment of data from a ...

* Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD) (german: Militärischer Abschirmdienst, links=no): (defensive)

counterintelligence Counterintelligence is an activity aimed at protecting an agency's intelligence program from an opposition's intelligence service. It includes gathering information and conducting activities to prevent espionage, sabotage, assassinations or ...

within the

Bundeswehr The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...

and the

Federal Ministry of Defence The Federal Ministry of Defence (german: Bundesministerium der Verteidigung, ), abbreviated BMVg, is a top-level federal agency, headed by the Federal Minister of Defence as a member of the Cabinet of Germany. The ministry is headquartered at ...

. *

Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (german: Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz or BfV, often ''Bundesverfassungsschutz'') is Germany's federal domestic intelligence agency. Together with the Landesämter für Verfassungss ...

(BfV) (german: Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, links=no): national domestic intelligence *State Offices for the Protection of the Constitution (LfV) (german: Landesbehörden für Verfassungsschutz, links=no): domestic intelligence for the 16 subnational states Besides that there are several other military and civilian agencies in Germany which do not have the status of an intelligence service, but have certain responsibilities similar to those of intelligence services or include close cooperation with German intelligence services: * Strategic Reconnaissance Command (KSA) (german: links=no, Kommando Strategische Aufklärung): central functional command for military intelligence, military

signals intelligence Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is intelligence-gathering by interception of '' signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication ...

and

geospatial intelligence In the United States, geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) is intelligence about the human activity on earth derived from the exploitation and analysis of imagery, signals, or signatures with geospatial information. GEOINT describes, assesses, and v ...

, part of Cyber and Information Domain Service. Subordinate units include Centre for Cyber Operations and Centre for Operational Communication (the latter being responsible for military

Psychological Operations Psychological warfare (PSYWAR), or the basic aspects of modern psychological operations (PsyOp), have been known by many other names or terms, including Military Information Support Operations (MISO), Psy Ops, political warfare, "Hearts and M ...

and

Information Operations Information Operations is a category of direct and indirect support operations for the United States Military. By definition in Joint Publication 3-13, "IO are described as the integrated employment of electronic warfare (EW), computer networ ...

). *

Central Office for Information Technology in the Security Sector Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

(ZITiS) (german: links=no, Zentrale Stelle für Informationstechnik im Sicherheitsbereich):

cryptanalysis Cryptanalysis (from the Greek ''kryptós'', "hidden", and ''analýein'', "to analyze") refers to the process of analyzing information systems in order to understand hidden aspects of the systems. Cryptanalysis is used to breach cryptographic s ...

and digital surveillance. Mainly works as a support and research agency for law enforcement and BfV. *

Federal Office for Information Security The Federal Office for Information Security (german: Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik, abbreviated as BSI) is the German upper-level federal agency in charge of managing computer and communication security for the German g ...

(BSI):

information security Information security, sometimes shortened to InfoSec, is the practice of protecting information by mitigating information risks. It is part of Risk management information systems, information risk management. It typically involves preventing or re ...

and

cyber security Computer security, cybersecurity (cyber security), or information technology security (IT security) is the protection of computer systems and networks from attack by malicious actors that may result in unauthorized information disclosure, the ...

. * Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) (in german: Bundeskriminalamt): criminal and national security intelligence. Not actually an intelligence agency, but resembles one in a few aspects (the department State Protection (German: Staatsschutz) investigates police-relevant political extremism, terrorism and espionage; recently new departments for cyber crime and Islamist terrorism were created). *State Criminal Police Offices: State police services have their own police units responsible for State Protection. Further responsibilities for state protection may be distributed to regional police entities within the states. *

Federal Police A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws. Jurisdiction LEAs which have their ability to apply their powers restricted in some way are said to operate within a jurisdiction. LEAs ...

(BPOL) (in german: Bundespolizei): Federal (primarily) uniformed police service with responsibility for border, aviation and railway security ; one of its legal responsibilities is the support of the BfV on the field of radio technology, including signals intelligence to identify foreign intelligence services communication within Germany. * Customs Investigation Bureau (ZKA): investigation and analysis of certain financial crimes, cases of arms proliferation and drug trafficking. Central organizational entitity for the regional branches of federal customs investigation service. * Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). Central agency for the fight against

money laundering Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdicti ...

and terrorist financing. Formerly and entity of the BKA and set up in 2017 as a subdirectorate of the ZKA until becoming a division of the General Customs Directorate 2021.

Former agencies

Prussian Secret Police The Prussian Secret Police (german: Preußische Geheimpolizei) was the secret police agency of the German state of Prussia in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1851 the Police Union of German States was set up by the police forces of Aust ...

(German: ''Preußische Geheimpolizei''): Precursor of the Gestapo between 1851 and 1933. * Naval Intelligence Service (N, MND) (German: ''Marinenachrichtendienst'', also

Nachrichten-Abteilung The ''Nachrichten-Abteilung'', also known as N, was the naval intelligence department of the German Imperial Admiralty Staff or ''Admiralstab'' between 1901–1919. It focused its efforts on France, the United States and above all the United Kingd ...

): Intelligence department of the

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Wilhel ...

. *Department IIIb (German: '' Abteilung III b''): Military intelligence of the

German General Staff The German General Staff, originally the Prussian General Staff and officially the Great General Staff (german: Großer Generalstab), was a full-time body at the head of the Prussian Army and later, the German Army, responsible for the continuou ...

Imperial Germany The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

. *Foreign Armies East (German: '' Abteilung Fremde Heere Ost''). Army intelligence analysis service of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. *Defense (German: ''

Abwehr The ''Abwehr'' ( German for ''resistance'' or ''defence'', but the word usually means ''counterintelligence'' in a military context; ) was the German military-intelligence service for the ''Reichswehr'' and the '' Wehrmacht'' from 1920 to 1944. ...

''): Army intelligence gathering service of Nazi Germany. *Observation Service (

B-Dienst The ''B-Dienst'' (german: Beobachtungsdienst, observation service), also called x''B-Dienst'', X-''B-Dienst'' and χ''B-Dienst'', was a Department of the German Naval Intelligence Service (german: Marinenachrichtendienst, MND III) of the OKM, th ...

, χB-Dienst, MND III) (German: ''Beobachtungsdienst''): Naval intelligence service of Nazi Germany. *Secret State Police (

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...

) (German: ''

Geheime Staatspolizei The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one org ...

''): Secret police of Nazi Germany and

German-occupied Europe German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...

. *Secret Field Police (GFP) (German: '' Geheime Feldpolizei''): Secret military police of the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

. *Security Service (SD) (German: ''

Sicherheitsdienst ' (, ''Security Service''), full title ' (Security Service of the '' Reichsführer-SS''), or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. Established in 1931, the SD was the first Nazi intelligence organization ...

''): Intelligence agency of the SS and the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

. See also:

Reich Security Main Office The Reich Security Main Office (german: Reichssicherheitshauptamt or RSHA) was an organization under Heinrich Himmler in his dual capacity as ''Chef der Deutschen Polizei'' (Chief of German Police) and '' Reichsführer-SS'', the head of the Naz ...

* Gehlen Organization ("The Org", "Zipper"): Precursor to the Bundesnachrichtendienst (Federal Intelligence Service). *Ministry for State Security (MfS, "Stasi") (in german:

Ministerium für Staatssicherheit The Ministry for State Security, commonly known as the (),An abbreviation of . was the state security service of the East Germany from 1950 to 1990. The Stasi's function was similar to the KGB, serving as a means of maintaining state authori ...

): State security service of the

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **G ...

. See also: Main Directorate for Reconnaissance *Military Reconnaissance of the

National People's Army The National People's Army (german: Nationale Volksarmee, ; NVA ) were the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990. The NVA was organized into four branches: the (Ground Forces), the (Navy), the (Air Force) a ...

(MIL-ND) (German: Militärische Aufklärung der Nationalen Volksarmee): Military intelligence agency of East Germany. *Office/Center for Intelligence of the Federal Armed Forces (ANBw/ZNBw) (German: ''Amt/Zentrum für Nachrichtenwesen der Bundeswehr''): Military intelligence analysis organization of the

. The majority of the tasks of ZNBw was taken over by the

Bundesnachrichtendienst The Federal Intelligence Service (German: ; , BND) is the foreign intelligence agency of Germany, directly subordinate to the Chancellor's Office. The BND headquarters is located in central Berlin and is the world's largest intelligence h ...

after an agreement between the Federal Ministry of Defence and the Federal Chancellery.