What is Covert Action?

-- -- Intelligence services generally are organized into the following major functional areas:

- Intelligence Collection

- Analysis

- Counterintelligence

- Covert Action

Intelligence Collection is the collection of Intelligence information, secret or otherwise, through spying, interrogation, satellites, etc. If the information is collected through spying or interrogation, it is known as HUMINT (human intelligence). If it is collected through technical means such as electronic eavesdropping or satellites, it is known as TECHINT (technical intelligence). Open-source Intelligence (OSINT) is information gathered from non-secret, public sources.

Intelligence Analysis is the assessment of collected raw intelligence and the processing of it into usable intelligence product that can be used to guide policy and operations.