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{{merge from|Black operation|discuss=Talk:Black operation#Merge with Covert operation|date=October 2024}}
{{Short description|Military operation}}
{{redirect|Covert operative|the legal definition of covert agents or operatives|covert agent}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}
A '''covert operation''' or '''undercover operation''' is a
==
Under
▲Under U.S. law, the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) must lead covert operations unless the president finds that another agency should do so and properly informs Congress. Normally, the CIA is the U.S. government agency legally allowed to carry out covert action.<ref name="Executive Secrets 2004, page 25">''Executive Secrets: Covert Action and the Presidency'', William J. Daugherty, University of Kentucky Press, 2004, page 25.</ref> The CIA's authority to conduct covert action comes from the [[National Security Act of 1947]].<ref name="Executive Secrets 2004">William J. Daugherty, ''Executive Secrets: Covert Action and the Presidency'', University of Kentucky Press, 2004.</ref> President [[Ronald Reagan]] issued [[Executive Order 12333]] titled ''United States Intelligence Activities'' in 1984. This order defined covert action as "special activities", both political and military, that the US Government could legally deny. The CIA was also designated as the sole authority under the 1991 [[Intelligence Authorization Act]] and in [[Title 50 of the United States Code]] Section 413(e).<ref name="Executive Secrets 2004"/><ref>''All Necessary Means: Employing CIA operatives in a Warfighting Role Alongside Special Operations Forces'', Colonel Kathryn Stone, Professor Anthony R. Williams (Project Advisor), United States Army War College (USAWC), 7 April 2003, page 7</ref> The CIA must have a "Presidential Finding" issued by the President of the United States in order to conduct these activities under the [[Hughes-Ryan Amendment|Hughes-Ryan amendment]] to the 1991 Intelligence Authorization Act.<ref name="Executive Secrets 2004, page 25"/> These findings are then monitored by the oversight committees in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives.<ref>Daugherty, 2004, page 28.</ref> As a result of this framework, William J. Daugherty writes that the CIA "receives more oversight from the Congress than any other agency in the federal government".<ref>Daugherty, 2004, page 29.</ref> The [[Special Activities Division]] (SAD) is a division of the CIA's [[Directorate of Operations (CIA)|Directorate of Operations]], responsible for Covert Action and "Special Activities". These special activities include covert political influence and paramilitary operations.
===Impact===
According to a 2018 study by University of Chicago political scientist Austin Carson, covert operations may have the beneficial effect of preventing escalation of disputes into full-blown wars.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Carson|first=Austin|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv346p45|title=Secret Wars: Covert Conflict in International Politics|date=2018|volume=157 |publisher=Princeton University Press|doi=10.2307/j.ctv346p45 |jstor=j.ctv346p45|isbn=978-0-691-20412-3 }}</ref> He argues that keeping military operations secret can limit escalation dynamics, as well as insulate leaders from domestic pressures while simultaneously allowing them communicating their interest to the adversary in keeping a war contained.<ref name=":0" /> He finds that covert operations are frequently detected by other major powers.<ref name=":0" />
==Domestic settings==
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===Participation in criminal activities===
Undercover agents may engage in criminal activities as part of their investigation. Joh defined the term ''authorized criminality'' to describe this phenomenon, which she restricts primarily to undercover law enforcement officers, excluding [[informant|confidential informants]].{{sfn|Joh|2009|p=157}} These criminal activities are primarily used to "provide opportunities for the suspect to engage in the target crime" and to maintain or bolster their cover identity. However, these crimes must be necessary to advance the investigation otherwise they may be prosecutable like any other crime.{{sfn|Joh|2009|p=165}} The FBI requires that such activities must be sanctioned and necessary for the investigation; they also stipulate that agents may not instigate criminal activity (to avoid entrapment) or participate in violence except for self-defense or the defense of others.<ref>{{Bluebook journal | last=Op. Atty' Gen. | title=The Attorney General’S Guidelines on Federal Bureau of Investigation Undercover Operations | pin=12 | url=https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/ag/legacy/2013/09/24/undercover-fbi-operations.pdf | year=2002}}</ref>
===Risks===
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{{Distinguish|Plain dress}}
Undercover agents should not be confused with [[law enforcement officer]]s who wear '''plainclothes'''{{mdash}}that is, to wear [[Mufti (dress)|civilian clothing]], instead of wearing a [[uniform]], to avoid detection or identification as a law enforcement officer. However, plainclothes police officers typically carry normal police equipment and normal identification. Police detectives are assigned to wear plainclothes by not wearing
Sometimes, police might drive an unmarked vehicle or a vehicle which looks like a taxi.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs4T19m8a18 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/gs4T19m8a18 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live |title=Unmarked Police Cars Responding Compilation: Sirens NYPD Police Taxi, Federal Law Enforcement, FDNY |last=Code3Paris |date=24 July 2017 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
===Controversies===
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! Further<br />information !! Country !! Approximate<br />time period !! Details
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| [[ATF fictional sting operations]] || USA ||
|-
| [[UK undercover policing relationships scandal]] || UK || ? – 2010 || Undercover officers infiltrating protest groups, deceived protesters into long-term relationships and in some cases, fathered children with them on false pretences, only to vanish later without explanation. Units disbanded and unreserved apology given as part of settlement, noting that the women had been deceived. Legal action continues as of 2016, and a public inquiry examining officer conduct, the [[Undercover Policing Inquiry]], is underway.
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* [[Vang Pao]]'s clandestine army
{{Div col end}}
==See also==
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070707201837/http://thewall.civiblog.org/rsf/big_brother_talons_on_you.html "Big Brother is Watching You Part 1 – 902 MI Group TALON Project Summary, Spreadsheet, Rep. Wexler response, and News Coverage collection] (includes Shane Harris's "TIA Lives On") via thewall.civiblog.org
* [https://archive.today/20110724191036/http://snoc.shacknet.nu/ Steath Network Operations Centre] – Covert Communication Support System
{{DEFAULTSORT:Covert operation}}
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