MI5 vs MI6

Each nation has numerous government agencies that protect its citizens from threats, both foreign and domestic. Movies often revolve around these organizations to provide a cinematic viewpoint of how these agencies protect its citizens, and also what type of threats they deal with, on a regular basis.

The two most famous government entities protecting a nation are the British MI5 and MI6. The MI6, if one can remember, is the government agency to which the famous international spy, James Bond, belongs. Let’s now take a quick look at what these two branches of the government are all about.

MI5 is a British government security service charged with the protection of the British economic interest and parliamentary democracy, anti-terrorism and counter-espionage, in the United Kingdom. The MI5 is usually concerned with domestic or internal security issues, but sometimes have overseas support on its missions. The service is subject to the direction of the Joint Intel ligence Committee for intelligence operational priorities, and liaises with the SIS, GCHQ, DIS and a number of other bodies within the British government and industrial base. The service is overseen by the Intelligence and Security Committee of Members of Parliament, who are directly appointed by the Prime Minister. Judicial oversight is also vested in the Interception of Communications Commissioner and the Intelligence Services Commissioner. MI5 can be compared to the famous American government agency, known as the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation).

Also referred to as the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), it is responsible for providing the British Government with foreign intelligence. It is more often referred to by the mass media and popular parlance, by its former name, MI6. Together with the Internal Security Service, the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defense Intelligence Staff, it works under the official direction of the Joint Intelligence Committee. During the Cold War, its subsistence, or its sister agencies, were not officially recognized by the public until the year 1994. MI6’s activities allegedly includes a variety of secret political exploit triumphs, including the depose of Mohammed Mossadeq in Iran, in 1953 (in collaboration with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency), the joint overthrowing of Patrice Lumumba in the Congo, during the year 1961, and the commencement of an internal disagreement between Lebanese paramilitary groups in the second half of the 1980’s, that successfully distracted them from further captive takings of Westerners in the area. This branch of the British government is comparable to the United States’ CIA (Central Intelligence Agency).

Summary:

1. MI5 is a British government security service charged with the protection of the British economic interest and parliamentary democracy, anti-terrorism and counter-espionage, in the United Kingdom, while MI6 is responsible for providing the British Government with foreign intelligence.

2. MI6’s activities purportedly include a variety of secret political exploit triumphs, but MI5 is usually concerned with domestic or internal security issues.

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