Association of Former Intelligence Officers From AFIO's The Intelligencer 7700 Leesburg Pike, Suite 324 Journal of U.S. Intelligence Studies Falls Church, Virginia 22043 Web: www.afio.com, E-mail:
[email protected] Volume 23 • Number 1 • $15 single copy price Summer 2017 ©2017, AFIO Foreign intelligence collectors seek US classified information and technology, especially those with military applications. However, today anything of GUIDE TO THE STUDY OF INTELLigENCE value is a highly prized target for economic espionage, including proprietary information, trade secrets, and R&D data. Prime private sector targets are indus- tries in the information technology, manufacturing, Espionage Against America financial, and pharmaceutical fields. But consumer companies, biological, and medical institutions, and the service sector are increasingly targeted. by David Major and Peter C. Oleson Russia, Cuba, and the People’s Republic of China (PRC), are – and have been – the most aggressive in At the beginning of the 20th century, the United targeting US national security information. Since the States transcended from being an isolated nation Economic Espionage Law of 1996 was passed, 85% of separated by vast oceans and disengaged in world all the economic espionage cases resulting in crimi- events, to becoming a prime espionage target for nal charges have involved spies from Asian countries military, political, intelligence, and economic including the PRC, Taiwan, South Korea, and India, information. with the PRC being the most active. The number one country behind the illegal export of restricted tech- America: The Target nology is Iran, with the PRC the next largest diverter of technology.4 merica’s pivotal role in World War I altered its position in the international arena.