The Operational Capacity of Turkish Intelligence within the Scope of Use of High-Technology Products.

• Author: Daricili, Ali Burak
• Position: ARTICLE

Introduction

Since its very beginnings, the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (Milli Istihbarat Teskilati, MIT) has been operating within the Turkish borders and beyond in order to protect Turkish interests and prevent harm to the integrity of the country. MIT's authority and responsibilities in providing intelligence that serves in the fight against terrorism, the coordination of intelligence activities, and the execution of espionage and counter-espionage activities. (1)

The activities that MIT plans, performs, and carries out to fulfill its missions and duties are supported by both technological and human intelligence (HUMINT). Espionage, counter-espionage, counter-terrorism (national security intelligence), covert operations, the fight against organized crime on a transnational and global scale, intelligence diplomacy, and security investigations of public personnel assigned to various duties are among the intelligence activities performed by MIT. Like all intelligence services, MIT plans and conducts its intelligence activities within the limits of its services and protocols based on the law governing its establishment. Law 2937, on State Intelligence Services and the National Intelligence Organization, shapes MIT's legal duties and intelligence activities. (2)

Threat centers that are identified by MIT as intelligence targets, and operational activities carried out in regard to these targets based on the national and international conjuncture and technological developments, intelligence gathering, and analysis processes may vary due to a number of factors. For instance, the activities conducted by MIT during the Cold War era generally consisted of espionage, counter-espionage, and counter-terrorism operations carried out under the authority of the Counter-Communism and the Counter-Soviet Departments. In other words, MIT's activities during the Cold War era can generally be thought as part of the traditional duties of an intelligence service. (3) Accordingly, despite the limited capacity and means of the Cold War era, MIT endeavored to analyze the foreign policy strategies of other states; it provided intelligence to foreign policy decision-makers that enabled them to make the right decisions, provided strategic intelligence, fought against terrorism and analyzed the military activities and strategies of other states. Moreover, it prevented domestic espionage activities and possible assassinations, sabotage, and the agitating activities of other intelligence services fought against organized crime, and protected Turkiye's state secrets and confidential government intelligence.

In contrast, MIT's activities in the post-Cold War era have been shaped within the scope of Turkiye's proactive foreign policy toward many problems in the region and at the global level. Thus, especially during the post-2010 period when the Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi, AK Party) came to power, MIT amplified its fight against the separatist terrorist organization, Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan (PKK), and other terrorist organizations. Consequently, MIT expanded the traditional duties of an intelligence service with a much broader vision in the post-2010 period to include the following tasks:

* Providing information and analyses regarding foreign policy issues that enable political decision-makers to make the right decisions; giving notice in advance about the foreign policy moves of rival states in the international system; providing strategic intelligence on issues necessary for decision-makers regarding internal and external threat targets.

* Fighting against terrorism and performing active operational missions abroad while increasing the technological assets and capabilities that enable it to do so.

* Supporting military operations abroad; following developments regarding the military activities and strategies of rival states or terrorist organizations in the international system; providing necessary intelligence to the relevant institutions.

* Supporting the development of military strategies; providing the necessary information to decision-makers and relevant institutions regarding risks and threats that could arise from other states or terrorist organizations.

* Closely following global developments in economy and trade; gathering information about the possible steps of rival states regarding their economic activities and plans; providing decision-makers with the necessary information before signing commercial agreements in order to obtain the most favorable conditions.

* Controlling whether the conditions of the international agreements to which Turkiye is a party are fulfilled; providing intelligence regarding the possible attitudes and behaviors of the parties to such agreements.

* Developing active counter-espionage strategies against the espionage activities of other intelligence services, including possible assassinations, sabotages, and provocations.

* Gathering intelligence on organized crime activities, especially on a global scale, that are harmful to the country's national security, in cooperation with other intelligence services.

* Conducting negotiations that a state must keep covert and secret with state or non-state actors; organizing and concluding such processes.

Turkiye's increase in technological capabilities in defense industry sectors and in providing technical intelligence in the post-2010 period cannot be ignored. The technology production capacities of its public and private institutions are increasing rapidly every year. For example, in 2018, Turkiye's defense and aerospace industry exports were $2.03 billion; this figure increased to $2.74 billion in 2019. Whereas in 2020, an export figure of $2.28 billion was recorded, this figure increased to $3.22 billion in 2021. These figures are a reflection of the rapid growth of Turkiye's defense industry. (4)

The tangible results of the enhancement of Turkiye's technological possibilities and capabilities in defense industry sectors and in the capacity to provide technical intelligence are evident in the increased scope of its counter-terrorism and espionage activities abroad.

Counter-Terrorism and Intelligence

Counter-terrorism activity generally refers to the efforts of intelligence services in relation to the fight against terrorism. Counter-terrorism in action involves detecting the activities of a target terrorist organization or individual, discovering information about the target and its activities, and fighting against terrorist organizations with the intelligence obtained in these efforts.

Using intelligence well in counter-terrorism activities is vital for a state like Turkiye, which has actively struggled against a number of terrorist organizations for many years. Intelligence plays a remarkable role in uncovering the actions and strategies of these organization at the right time. Every decision in the military, judicial, political, diplomatic, and social field regarding counter-terrorism activities should be put into practice only after considering the analysis of the intelligence about the relevant terrorist organization.

Counter-terrorism activities and strategies are shaped based on their purposes, such as penetrating a target terrorist organization or other terrorist targets...