Counter-espionage

The counter-espionage activity was born as a necessity in order to manage the hostile actions carried out by other states’ spies.

Throughout the time, starting with the technological evolution, but also with the changes that happened on the international scene, the counter-espionage adapted to the new challenges and, along with the classic activity of “following the opponent”, it adopted a pro-active attitude through which it protects the national and allies’ interests from other actors’ interferences.

What are spies doing?

The “field” spies access individuals who can offer them relevant traces, can make decisions or can influence decision-making in the detriment of Romania’s national interests.

The relevant traces come from the political, military, economical, technological, and research fields and can sustain the building of eventual “opportunities” for adversaries to reach a favorable relationship with the Romanian state or its allies.

How is the counterespionage done?

Starting from the advantage of your own field, the counter-espionage officer uses a variety of instruments through which he intends to better know his opponent, his objectives in our country and to prevent, discretely, their materialization. The main characteristic of the “Game in the shadow” is to offer the opponent the impression that he is not “followed” and that his actions are unknown. The ability to anticipate is essential to always allow for being “a step ahead” the opponent and to make the spy think that his failure was caused by a coincidence.

What qualities does a counterspy have?

Counter-espionage is an elitist activity, during which the counterintelligence officer is ready to confront an opponent at least as competent as him. The counterspy should have a strong psychological profile, patience, creativity, determination and perseverance. The creative side of it offers the advantage of “playing” with the opponent, anticipating his next moves and pushing him to make errors.

Having all these qualities, the counterspy remains “an unseen hero” because nobody, besides the Service, knows his real name, nobody knows what he looks like, how he serves his country, being just a person who gets lost in the crowd.

Why is Romania a target?

The status of our country, as a member of the EU and NATO, as well as its geo-strategical position with an uncontested relevance in the present, turns the national territory into a field where hostile actors manifest their interests and objectives, with a variety of intensities according to their power or their current relations with Romania. For that very reason, we have to be present and alert, strategically positioned in the environments targeted by the opponent and permanently preoccupied with preventing and countering.

How to find out if you are a spy’s target?

If in your circle of acquaintances, a person shows up who seems interested in your career, your circle of acquaintances and offers you “rewards” (monetary or of other nature) there is a possibility that you are the target of an espionage service.

If you have suspicions, you can bring it to our attention by calling us sending an e-mail using the contact data found in the Contact/Public Relations.

Movies, books

If you want to know more, the counterespionage activity has been shown through books, movies, TV series that present real aspects, from the day-to-day life of spies and counterspies. Of course, the instances presented are made in an artistic manner, but they also include aspects from real life.

Books: Our Man in Damascus (Eli Ben-Hanan); To Catch a Spy: The Art of Counterintelligence (James M. Olson); How to Catch a Russian Spy (Naveed Jamali, Ellis Henican); The Billion Dollar Spy (David E. Hoffman); The New Cold War (Edward Lucas); Russians Among Us (Gordon Corera).

Movies and TV Series: Spy/Master, The Americans, Diplomata, Condor, The Spy; Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy, Spy Ops etc.