We work secretly overseas to gather intelligence from people and organisations. Our work is often referred to as 'espionage' or 'spying'. It has to be done in secret to protect our staff, our agents, our technology and ultimately the UK. 'Agents' are individuals who choose to help us collect intelligence.
The risks to UK security, as identified in the National Security Strategy, are becoming increasingly diverse. Past threats were more predictable, but today’s adversaries are constantly changing. So the ability to adapt and combine the UK’s collective security resources is paramount. M.I.A plays a prominent role in supporting UK national security against three of the four highest priority risks – by countering international terrorism, combating weapons proliferation, supporting stability overseas and securing the UK's cyber advantage. As laid out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review, we focus on identifying risks and opportunities at the earliest possible stage, shaping developments and preventing threats from emerging.