Federal Intelligence Services FIS

1.2013/1/e Art.-No. 503.002.13eng

Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft Confédération suisse Confederazione Svizzera Confederaziun svizra

Swiss Confederation

Federal Intelligence Service FIS

The Federal Intelligence Service FIS

The Federal Intelligence Service FIS 1

Contents

0. Preface 3

1. What is the Federal Intelligence Service? 5

2. Legal and Political Framework 9

3. Supervision and control of the FIS 11

4. Informing the public 13

5. Involvement in the management of security policy 14

6. Cooperation with federal and cantonal authorities 15

7. Cooperation with foreign partner services 18

8. The intelligence cycle 19

9. Organization 22

10. Federal Intelligence Service collection tools 24

11. Basic remit and coverage 28

12. Employees / Personnel 30

13. Contact addresses 31

14. List of abbreviations 32

The Federal Intelligence Service FIS2


The Federal Intelligence Service has been in existence since 1 January 2010. It was formed, in accordance with the Parliamentary decision of April 2009, by amalgamating the two predeces-sor services, the Strategic Intelligence Service, which dealt primarily with international matters, and the Service for Analysis and Prevention, which played a preventive role in safeguard-ing Switzerland's internal security.

The work of the Federal Intelligence Service is tailored first and foremost to the needs of its service recipients (Federal Council, departments, can-tons), and is designed to provide them with the best possible services. It must be clear to FIS service recipients and to the public what the fundamental capa-bilities, as well as the limitations, of the service are. This brochure is intended to give you a better understanding of these basic parameters.

Ueli Maurer Federal Councillor

Head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport

0. Preface



1. What is the Federal Intelligence Service?

▪ using intelligence tools i.e. information- and knowledge-gathering tools, which are not avail-able to other Federal agencies

▪ relevant for decision-makersi.e. we supply intelligence informa-tion to the political and military leadership in order to assist them in their decision-making

▪ in a preventive way i.e. we strive to detect and combat all acts which threaten Switzerland's security at an early stage, i.e. before the danger materializes or before there are sufficient grounds for the institution of criminal proceedings.

The Federal Intelligence Service (FIS) is an organization which uses intelligence tools to collect, analyse, evaluate and dis-seminate information, with the aim of compiling a compre-hensive intelligence picture relevant for decision-makers at all levels. Through its operational and preventive services, it makes a direct contribution to Switzerland's security,


Why is the FIS needed?

Federal and cantonal governments and administrations use a variety of dif-ferent sources of information. Official reports, the media and observations by Swiss diplomats abroad all have an im-portant role to play here.

However, not all information can be ob-tained through publicly accessible chan-nels. For a variety of reasons, govern-mental and non-governmental players may withhold certain facts. Furthermore, the media, in particular, have a different focus from that of governmental institu-

tions and operate according to different rules of play (for example, they may have economic or political interests). A government cannot therefore rely solely on the information mentioned above. The collection of information that is kept secret and of undistorted informa-tion is the task of the FIS.

The FIS monitors strategic develop-ments and threats, compiles situation assessments and issues alerts and warn-ings in the event of emerging crises or unusual developments. It provides the appropriate authorities with informa-tion and findings which are relevant to

Main issues

Early warning

Latent issues

Flash-points

Security issuesSecurity issues

Proliferation

Politics / Economy / Defense

Extr

emis

m

Terrorism

Cyberspace threats

Illegal in

telli

gence

The FIS uses a situation radar tool to depict threats a�ecting Switzerland. This tool clearly shows, by means of a diagram and accompanying explana-

tory text, which threats to Switzerland’s security the

FIS and other agencies see as being current or as being likely

to intensify in the near or more distant future.


the protection of vital national interests, the safeguarding of the internal and ex-ternal security of Switzerland and its citizens and the enforcement of laws and international obligations. The situ-ation assessments which are compiled are politically neutral and may differ from the assessments of other admin-istrative agencies. They facilitate more broadly-based decision-making.

By detecting threats or challenges, giv-ing early warning of crises and supply-ing assessments of possible security de-velopments, the FIS provides the basis for political decision-making. It helps to safeguard and enhance the govern-ment’s freedom of action.

Whom does the FIS serve?

At the federal level, the FIS supplies its products primarily to the Federal Coun-cil, the departments, the executive bod-ies responsible for security (Security Committee of the Federal Council and Security Core Group) and the military leadership. The FIS regularly gives the recipients of its products the opportu-nity to comment on the quantity, quality, punctuality, relevance and usefulness of the products.

The FIS also assists the cantons with the task of safeguarding internal secu-

rity and supports the law enforcement agencies at the federal level. It provides information (e.g. on matters of internal security, law enforcement and the ex-port of war material and other control-led goods) to federal and cantonal bod-ies. It also assists government bodies and private organizations with counter-espionage and raises their awareness of this issue in order to expose or prevent the circumvention of international ob-ligations in Switzerland's financial and industrial sectors. It informs Parliament, the cantons and the public about the in-ternal and external security situation.

How does the FIS operate?

The FIS collects and analyses informa-tion which other federal agencies, due to their statutory basis and the resources available to them, are unable to obtain themselves. It also takes into account publicly accessible information, in or-der to convey the whole picture. The FIS is the only federal agency to have a statutory basis that permits it, in each case in accordance with the purpose of the law, to collect information, in Swit-zerland and abroad, ▪ which is not publicly accessible, ▪ which governmental or nongovern-mental players are trying to keep se-cret and


▪ the collection of which may entail the infringement of basic rights (personal rights) protected under human rights law or under constitutional law.

These powers are exercised exclusively within the scope of applicable laws and regulations and in accordance with the principle of proportionality of action by the state. In addition to information from federal and cantonal agencies and open sources (open-source intelligence OSINT), the FIS has other means and methods of collecting information at its disposal. These include human sources (human intelligence HUMINT), contin-uous radio and communications recon-naissance (communications intelligence COMINT) outside the scope of Swiss telecommunications secrecy, and the exchange of information with foreign partner services. Switzerland's defence attachés abroad are also providing in-formation.

The information collected is evaluated, processed into intelligence products and disseminated. These products provide FIS customers with a basis for decision-making and assist with preventive work aimed at protecting Switzerland and its population.

The collection and analysis of covertly

obtained information generates value-added intelligence beyond informa-tion obtained from openly accessible sources. In other words: Information obtained in a targeted manner often plays a vital role by complementing information that is publicly accessible. The FIS provides a picture of the situa-tion that has been methodically and rig-orously checked, makes statements on likely future developments and detects misinformation. Whilst it is true that the FIS is not usually faster than other in-formation providers such as the media, this is not its function.


2. Legal and Political Framework

The functions and activities of the FIS are regulated in detail by the following two Acts:

▪ Federal Act of 3 October 2008 on Responsibilities in the Area of the Civilian Intelligence Service (ZNDG; SR 121) This Act principally concerns the col-lection of intelligence about foreign countries (external security). The role of the FIS includes the collection of information about foreign countries that is of significance to Switzer-land’s security. The Act also assigns to the FIS the task of comprehensive threat assessment.

▪ Federal Act of 21 March 1997 on Measures to Safeguard Internal Security (BWIS; SR 120) This Act essentially assigns to the federal government, or to the FIS, the following function in relation to internal security: Implementation of preventive meas-ures for detecting and combating threats posed by terrorism, illegal intelligence, violent extremism and proliferation.

The activities of the FIS are regulated by law; it operates exclusively within the framework of Swiss law. The consti-tution and the law are its sole basis, and the principle of legality applies without restriction.


New Intelligence Service Act in the pipeline

Work has been underway since October 2010 on a new Intelligence Service Act which by mid-2015 at the earliest will replace the ZNDG and the BWIS. Un-der this proposal, there are also plans to examine the introduction (subject to tight restrictions) of special means for collecting intelligence within Swit-zerland (monitoring of postal and tel-ecommunications traffic; observation of suspected persons, including on private premises; infiltration of computers and networks).

Basic principles of the Federal Council's policy regarding the intelligence services

Within the scope defined by the consti-tution and the law, the policy stipulates the conditions and basic principles ac-cording to which the intelligence serv-ices fulfil their mandate. On 31 January 2007, the Federal Council submitted to Parliament a report on the basic prin-ciples of its policy regarding Switzer-land's intelligence services (including the Military Intelligence Service MIS). This sets out in broad outline the tasks of the intelligence services, the way in which they are deployed, organized and managed, the principles according to

which they cooperate with one another, with other federal agencies and with foreign partner services, executive con-trol mechanisms, parliamentary super-vision and principles governing public information and protection of sources.

The FIS is one of the Federal Govern-ment's security policy instruments. Se-curity policy is concerned with ensuring that Switzerland has the resources and procedures necessary in order to safe-guard and strengthen its security, free-dom and self-determination, avert harm to the country and cope with natural and man-made disasters. Security policy is a joint function of the Confederation, cantons and municipalities (Security Alliance Switzerland). (Cf. Security Re-port by the Federal Council of 23 June 2010, Fed.Gaz. 2010 5133)


3. Supervision and control of the FIS

The activities of the FIS are controlled on various levels.

Control by the executive

Control by the executive authorities is exercised on various levels: ▪ The Federal Department of De-fence, Civil Protection and Sport's (DDPS) Intelligence Service Con-trol Authority reviews the legality, appropriateness and effectiveness of

the activities of the FIS. In doing so, it takes into account the priorities which are dictated by the intelligence re-quirements of the political authorities.

▪ The Independent Control Author-ity, an interdepartmental committee, reviews the legality and proportional-ity of mandates for communications intelligence.

▪ The Federal Data Protection Com-missioner checks the legality of the processing of personal data collected within Switzerland.

The FIS operates under comprehensive controls on various levels – focussed on the legality and proportionality of the service's activities.

Parliament

FederalCouncil

FederalAdministration

DDPS

Control delegation

Approval of contacts to foreignintelligence services / acknow-

ledgement of operational reports

Independent COMINTcontrol authority

Swiss FederalAudit O�ce

Finance Delegation

Intelligence servicecontrol authority

FIS Activity Finances COMINT


▪ The Federal Council manages and controls the FIS in matters of major political importance; in particular, it assigns it its core remit and approves the "watch list" in accordance with the BWIS. It chooses the members of the Independent Control Authority, and lastly it also authorises and reviews relations with foreign services.

Parliamentary control

The FIS is also controlled through par-liamentary supervision. ▪ The Control Delegation of the Swiss Federal Parliament monitors the legal-ity, appropriateness and effectiveness of its activities and also has wide-ranging rights of inspection.

▪ The FIS is also audited annually by the Audit Office on behalf of the Fi-nance Delegation of the Swiss Federal Parliament.

Data protection

The FIS is authorized under the relevant legal provisions (BWIS, ZNDG, Data Protection Act) to collect, process and hold personal data for the purposes of protecting the security of Switzerland and its inhabitants. The legislature and the supervisory bodies lay down clear

guidelines for the FIS, in order to guar-antee the constitutional rights of Swiss citizens and thereby ensure a balance between security and the basic rights of citizens.

Anybody may submit a written request to the FIS for access to their data in the service's information systems. The FIS may, under certain conditions, deny the request or limit/delay its response.


The authorities, the controlling bodies and the FIS inform the public about their activities as transparently as pos-sible. In doing so, however, they must not jeopardise intelligence activity. The protection of sources is enshrined in law and must be ensured in all cases.

The FIS is involved in the system of of-ficial and public reporting in a variety of ways. ▪ In its Annual Report, the Federal Coun-cil informs Parliament, the cantons and the public about its assessment of the threat situation and about the activities of the federal security agencies. The topics dealt with in the report relate to the regulatory scope of the BWIS, and the term "federal security agencies" correspondingly also includes the FIS.

▪ In line with its mandate under the ZNDG to provide a “comprehensive assessment of the threat situation”, each year the FIS publishes its annual Situation Report „Switzerland’s Se-curity“ with its ”situation radar” tool.This is not limited to security policy in its narrower sense, but also covers other threats which could cause sig-nificant harm to Switzerland.

▪ Finally, the Control Delegation regu-larly issues to the Control Committees, Parliament and the public a report on the activities of the intelligence serv-ices.

4. Informing the public


5. Involvement in the management of security policy

The FIS provides a comprehensive as-sessment and description of the threat situation. ▪ Within the framework of the Security Core Group, the FIS provides the de-partments represented there, FDFA, DDPS and FDJP, with the basis for a joint assessment of the situation. The remit of the Security Core Group con-sists primarily in monitoring and as-sessing the situation and in the early detection of challenges presented by

threats to Switzerland's internal and external security. The Security Core Group analyses the security situation and, where necessary, submits pro-posals to the relevant Federal Council committees.

▪ Finally, in situation reporting, the FIS also forms an integral part of Secu-rity Alliance Switzerland, the aim of which is to further optimize security cooperation between the Confedera-tion and the cantons.

State Secretary(FDFA)

1 representativefrom FIS

1 representativefrom fedpol

1 representativefrom FDFA

Director of fedpol(FDJP)

Director of FIS(DDPS)

FIS situation monitoring and analysis basedon the intelligence network

Head of Coordination Group (protocol)

Coordination Group Supply of

situation products

Security Committee Committee on Foreign A�airsand European Policy

Committee on Migrationand Integration

Committee on InternationalFinance and Tax A�airs

Security Core Group

The FIS in the Security Core Group


6. Cooperation with federal and cantonal authorities

The FIS cooperates closely with various authorities and agencies at the federal and cantonal levels:

▪ FDFA ▪ DDPS, in particular the Swiss Armed Forces

▪ FDJP, in particular the Federal Office of Police (fedpol), and the Federal Of-fice for Migration (FOM)

▪ Federal Department of Finance (FDF), in particular the Border Guard and the Federal IT Steering Unit (FITSU)

▪ Federal Department of Economic Af-fairs, Education and Research (EAER), in particular the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)

▪ Office of the Attorney General; ▪ cantonal police forces.

Cooperation takes place in various fields.

Foreign policy

The FIS maintains particularly close cooperation with the FDFA, in order to exchange information, findings and in-telligence requirements in areas which are of interest to the FDFA and the FIS.

National defence

The FIS also provides support to the Swiss Armed Forces and cooperates closely with them.

The Armed Forces also have access to the MND, which collects and analyses significant information relating to na-tional defence, the peace support serv-ice and the civil support service abroad.

The FIS also cooperates with other Armed Forces agencies, in particular with the International Relations Divi-sion (direction of defence attachés), the Command Support Organization (COMINT) and Military Security (train-ing and operations).

Export Control

The SECO in the EAER is an important partner in combating proliferation.

Prevention and awareness-raising programmes

The FIS implements, jointly with the SECO and the intelligence units in Swit-zerland's cantonal and municipal police services, a preventive programme to raise awareness of the threat posed by


proliferation and industrial espionage (PROPHYLAX/TECHNOPOLE). The aim is to advise companies, universi-ties and technology centres on possible measures to prevent illegal activities re-lating to espionage and proliferation.

Police and law enforcement

The FIS cooperates very closely with cantonal police forces in the area of pre-vention, as the safeguarding of internal security is primarily the responsibility of the cantons.

The FIS provides support to the cantons at large events (e.g. the World Eco-nomic Forum in Davos, international conferences, etc.) through the national intelligence network maintained by its Federal Situation Centre (FSC) and an Electronic Situation Display.

The FIS also cooperates closely with the Office of the Attorney General and with the Federal Criminal Police.

Both intelligence investigations (pre-vention, from the Latin “praevenire”

"to forestall, prevent"), and criminal investigations (repression, from the Latin “reprimere”, from “primere” "to press, push") are triggered by specific-grounds for suspicion.

In the case of the preventive work car-ried out by the intelligence services, this will be suspicion of a significant threat to the security of Switzerland or its pop-ulation, while in the repressive work of the law enforcement agencies it will be suspicion of a specific criminal offence.

Since the FIS on its own does not have the necessary capacity to perform its tasks in full, it is dependent on close co-operation with the police forces at the federal and cantonal levels. There are 84 intelligence units, embedded in the police service of the cantons and funded by the federal government, operating at cantonal level.

Entry and residence

As part of its cooperation with the FOM and the fedpol, the FIS checks entry and residence applications for any threat to internal security (accreditation of dip-lomats and international officials or applications for employment covered by the law on foreign nationals). As part of the Schengen visa consultation procedure (VISION), the FIS checks the data records for any threat to the internal security of Switzerland. It also checks asylum dossiers and applica-tions for naturalisation for any threat to the internal security of Switzerland. Based on relevant security concerns, it


can request that applications of this na-ture be rejected and, if necessary, that appropriate measures be taken to keep the applicants out of the country.

Cyber-prevention

The FIS is also involved at federal level in preventing attacks on critical infor-mation infrastructures. The Reporting and Analysis Centre for Information Assurance (MELANI) is operated joint-ly by the FITSU and the FIS. Respon-sibility for the strategic management of MELANI and for the technical com-petence centre lies with FITSU, while responsibility for the operational intel-ligence units of MELANI (OIC MELA-NI) lies with the FIS. MELANI has the task of providing subsidiary support for Switzerland's critical infrastructures in the execution of their information assur-ance procedures in order, by playing a preventive (and, in the event of IT inci-dents, co-ordinating) role, to ensure that Switzerland's information infrastruc-tures, together with its companies, can continue to function. In order to achieve this aim, MELANI and the operators of Switzerland's critical infrastructures work together on a voluntary basis, un-der a public-private partnership.


7. Cooperation with foreign partner services

Fostering international relations is an essential part of the FIS's work. The FIS uses such contacts to fill in gaps in its knowledge so that it can perform its statutory duties regarding prevention, the assessment of external security and the implementation of Switzerland's international obligations efficiently and effectively. Relations with foreign services are regulated by law. The Fed-eral Council authorises routine rela-tions with foreign services on an annual basis. At the same time, the FIS also maintains relations with multilateral associations.

In particular, the FIS engages in con-tinuous intelligence cooperation with numerous foreign partner services and international organizations (e.g. the EU's Joint Situation Centre).

Intelligence cooperation with foreign services is informal. It is based on the principles of confidentiality and mutual trust. Information is made available in accordance with the principle of com-mon interests on an equal footing. Here, the principles of trust and of the mutual exchange of information ("do ut des", mutual giving and taking) apply. There is, however, no obligation to provide information.


8. The intelligence cycle

The FIS operates according to the so called intelligence cycle, i.e. a process which, based on international experi-ence, is the most efficient in achieving the desired outcome and which ensures

optimal support of service recipients as well as fulfilment of the basic remit of the FIS. Each step in the process has particular requirements, if the process is to run efficiently and effectively.

Decide

Coordinate

Collect

Analyse

Analyses

Prevent threatsSituation

development

Requirements

Information

Infor-mation

Preventiveservices

Assignments

FIS

The FIS operates within the so-called intelligence cycle


required service - prioritization of the information re-quirements

- issuing of assignments to FIS-inter-nal service providers

- controlling of service provision - assurance of the quality of the serv-ice provided and delivery of the in-telligence service in good time.

Collection

Overt or covert information is collected using the tool or method best suited to the assignment concerned. The aim of collection is to fill information gaps (see also below under collection tools).

Requirements

The process of service delivery begins with the following inputs: ▪ a service recipient has a specific intel-ligence requirement

▪ the FIS detects a need for action from incoming information or from its on-going situation monitoring as per its basic remit.

Steering and assignments

This part of the cycle comprises ▪ firstly, coordination of the overall in-telligence process (prioritization of issues and resources, process control);

▪ secondly, processing of the specific in-telligence requirement. This includes - analysis of the requirement - consultation with the service recipi-ent on the "scope of delivery" of the


Analysis

All available information is analysed in order to come up with responses to service recipients’ requirements and re-quests. This also helps to identify infor-mation gaps. The aim of analysis is to develop intelligence products for deci-sion-makers and to provide operational support for the federal administration and for the cantons.

Use of the service (decisions and preventive services)

Intelligence products serve as decision-making aids for service recipients and provide background information for their work. They serve their purpose only if they reach the decision-maker at the appropriate time and level and in the correct form.The FIS provides preventive services for the early detection and prevention

of threats in the areas of terrorism, ille-gal intelligence, violent extremism and illegal trading in radioactive materials, war material and other goods subject to export controls as well as illegal tech-nology transfer.These services include ▪ checking entry and residence applica-tions,

▪ providing advice in the fields of in-dustry and research (PROPHYLAX and TECHNOPOLE prevention and awareness-raising programmes) as well as

▪ MELANI products.

Where necessary, the FIS requests the relevant authorities to introduce admin-istrative or strategic measures (meas-ures to keep persons out of the country, long-term surveillance).


9. Organization

FIS Sta�

The FIS Staff office deals with policy matters, coordinates international rela-tions with partner services abroad, per-forms controlling and quality assurance functions, is responsible for corporate governance and manages internal and external communications.

Steering and Situation

The Steering and Situation directorate is responsible for the tasks described above under the heading “Coordination and assignments”. In addition, together with the FSC and in close cooperation with other directorates, it detects where action is required, based on continuous situation monitoring, alerts decision-

The FIS is organized along the basic lines of the intelligence cycle.

makers if necessary and assigns tasks in response.

The FSC integrates the relevant reports on the situation in the subareas of inter-nal and external security (cantons, other federal agencies) to produce an overall picture. The FSC also heads the Swiss intelligence network in special circum-stances (e.g. major events). In order to fulfil its tasks, the FSC operates an elec-tronic information system (Electronic Situation Display).

Collection

The Collection directorate consists of the two divisions Domestic and Ex-ternal Collection (HUMINT) and an organisational unit which coordinates

Sta�

AnalysisInformation

ManagementCollection

Director

Steering / SituationCommand &

Operations Support

FIS


the other sensors (defence attachés, COMINT and IMINT). This directorate uses intelligence tools and methods to obtain information which is not publicly accessible. It provides operational serv-ices to assist the FIS and third parties. It is also responsible for operational coop-eration with the cantons.

Information Management

The Information Management directo-rate is responsible for inbound process-ing and for filing and forwarding in-coming information and data. It also deals with issues relating to the law on foreign nationals for other Federal agencies (e.g. FOM, fedpol, etc.). In addition, it ensures access to publicly available sources (OSINT) and man-ages the operational intelligence arm of MELANI to protect critical information infrastructures.

Analysis

The information collected through these diverse channels is then analysed by specialists in the Analysis directorate and condensed into intelligence infor-mation. The resulting products are de-livered to service recipients in the fed-eral administration and in the cantons. The Analysis directorate is organised

along geographical and thematic lines into various branches, which provide mutual support depending on the issue concerned (antiterrorism, counterespio-nage, nonproliferation, combating ex-tremism, military and regional issues).

Command and Mission Support

The Command and Mission Support di-rectorate is the central services provider for the organisational units in the areas of risk management, personnel manage-ment, finance management, ICT, law, infrastructure and security. In this way, it lays the foundations for intelligence activity.


10. Federal Intelligence Service collection tools

A number of source categories will be described briefly below in order to give a picture of the FIS’s capabilities. Not every source category (sensors) is

OSINT

Defence Attachés

Police

Partner Services

HUMINT COMINT

IMINT

FIS

equally suitable for meeting particular requirements. The art lies in coordinat-ing the sensors in order to meet demand at the appropriate time.

FIS Sources


public domain. OSINT comprises the collection, selection and processing of unclassified information. The most com-monly used information sources are: the internet, electronic databases, media products and printed publications, par-ticularly those of a scientific nature.

COMINT

COMINT refers to the surveillance of communication links and the content of communications using electronic means. Parts of the international com-munications flow, (e.g. via radio or satellite communication systems) are recorded in this way.

HUMINT

HUMINT describes the collection of sensitive information by and with the aid of people. This form of collection is achieved through the targeted selec-tion and recruitment of persons who have access to sensitive information and/or information carriers which is/are particularly relevant to Switzerland. In order to protect sources and personnel, particularly high levels of secrecy are required in this area.

OSINT

An important part of the added value of products in terms of intelligence is based on information collection through clas-sified sources. On the other hand, infor-mation from unclassified sources serves as the foundation for analysis. The first step in analysis work is to consult openly available information. This can make the deployment of other intelligence tools unnecessary, provided that sufficiently verified information is available in the


Defence Attachés

In many areas, defence attachés provide the FIS with an appropriate and indis-pensable tool.Defence attachés form a crisis-resistant network which is independent of any alliances and is geared to the needs of Swiss security policy and the Swiss Armed Forces. It is based on direct ac-cess to defence ministries and general staff offices. This access is vital to the early detection and resolution of crises and to bilateral cooperation.

As Switzerland has signed treaties on the protection of military information with a large number of countries, we know from experience that these part-ners are willing to exchange not just unclassified, but also some confidential information.

IMINT

Imagery Intelligence (IMINT) refers to the collection of information by means

of image-based reconnaissance. The Armed Forces’ IMINT centre evaluates commercial satellite images for this purpose on behalf of the FIS.

Intelligence units in the cantons

84 intelligence units in the cantonal police forces, the Basel public prosecu-tor’s office and the police of the city of Zurich have been seconded to work in close cooperation with the FIS. They form the link between the police and the intelligence service. These intel-ligence units carry out assignments on behalf of the FIS and provide independ-ent information about findings relevant to security, in accordance with the legal provisions set out in the BWIS.

Partner servicesThe high quality of the information avail-able makes the exchange of information with foreign intelligence services a par-ticularly important and valuable source for the FIS. These partnerships are of


enormous value, especially for a country with relatively small intelligence serv-ices. This type of information exchange is only successful when based on mutual trust and is thus generally founded on longstanding reciprocal relationships.

FIS information collection measures

Swiss legislation does not lay down an explicit list of permitted collection measures for collecting information abroad. The options open to the FIS abroad are therefore less restricted than they are within Switzerland. One of the tools used for the collection of informa-tion abroad according to the ZNDG is the surveillance of communications by electronic means (COMINT).

Mail and telephone monitoring, surveil-lance on private premises and the infil-tration of computers and networks are not currently permitted for the collec-tion of information within Switzerland.

The following tools are available to the FIS domestically ▪ requests for information ▪ inspection of official files ▪ receipt of notifications ▪ surveillance of events at public loca-tions (including the recording of im-ages and sound)

▪ radio reconnaissance (recording elec-tromagnetic emissions abroad; inland emissions may only be recorded and evaluated insofar as these are not sub-ject to telecommunications secrecy).


11. Basic remit and coverage

Basic remit

The FIS’s basic remit is authorised peri-odically, at least every four years, by the Federal Council. It defines the thematic and regional scope of intelligence col-lection and processing abroad in accord-ance with Art. 1 (a) ZNDG. Within this framework, it specifies the key areas and issues for the service. These include ▪ counterterrorism ▪ nonproliferation ▪ political and economic issues (abroad) ▪ countering violent extremism

▪ counterespionage ▪ military and defence issues ▪ threats to strategic information infra-structure are treated as a cross-cutting issue.

The key areas indicate priorities: contin-uous intelligence gathering and analysis cannot be provided worldwide, due to the limited capacity of the service. This means that the FIS must accept that there will be gaps in its coverage.

Areas and Issues of Interest to the FIS

EuropeUSA

Near East /North Africa

MiddleEast

Africa

Asia

Russia / CIS

thematic:

Dom

esti

c

Fore

ign

geographical:

• Terrorism• Illegal intelligence• Violent extremism• Proliferation• Attacks on critical information infrastructure

• Proliferation• Terrorism• Military capabilities and con�icts of strategic signi�cance• Arms technology and trading


Watch list

The DDPS maintains a confidential list (also referred to as the watch list) of the organisations and groups for which there are concrete grounds to suspect that they could threaten internal or exter-nal security. This is e.g. the case where an organisation or persons belonging to an organisation use the exercise of po-litical rights or fundamental rights as a pretext for preparing or carrying out ac-tivities relating to terrorism, intelligence or violent extremism.

The inclusion of an organisation or group in the list means that the security agencies are authorised to collect and process all available and legally acces-sible information about them and the activists involved in them, including in-formation normally excluded by Art. 3 BWIS. In this case, the federal and can-tonal security agencies may also process information on political activity and on the exercise of freedom of expression, association and assembly.

The list is to be submitted annually to the Federal Council for approval and to the Control Delegation for information purposes.


12. Employees / Personnel

The FIS has employees from a vari-ety of occupational backgrounds. These employees are subject to normal federal employment legislation. General re-quirements, besides a good education, are an interest in domestic and foreign policy issues and in other cultures, as well as a knowledge of languages and mobility.

Based on the BWIS and the Ordinance on Personnel Security Clearance, FIS employees will be security-cleared at a level appropriate to the sensitivity of their function.

Vacancies advertised publicly are gener-ally to be found on the federal employ-ment website (www.stelle.admin.ch)


13. Contact addresses

Postal address:Federal Intelligence ServicePapiermühlestrasse 203003 BernSwitzerland

E-mail: [email protected]

Internet: www.ndb.admin.ch

Telephone: ++41 (0)31 323 95 84


14. List of abbreviations

BWIS Federal Act on Measures to Safeguard Internal Security

COMINT Communications Intelligence

DDPS Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport

EAER Federal Department of Economic A�airs, Education and Research

FDF Federal Department of Finance

FDFA Federal Department of Foreign A�airs

FDJP Federal Department of Justice and Police

fedpol Federal O�ce of Police

FIS Federal Intelligence Service

FITSU Federal IT Steering Unit

FOM Federal O�ce for Migration

FSC Federal Situation Centre

HUMINT Human Intelligence

IMINT Imagery Intelligence

MELANI Reporting and Analysis Centre for Information Assurance

MIS Military Intelligence Service

OSINT Open Source Intelligence

SECO State Secretariat for Economic A�airs

ZNDG Federal Act on Responsibilities in the Area of the Civilian Intelligence Service

1.2013/1/e Art.-No. 503.002.13eng

Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft Confédération suisse Confederazione Svizzera Confederaziun svizra

Swiss Confederation

Federal Intelligence Service FIS

The Federal Intelligence Service FIS

Federal Intelligence Services FIS

Self Improvement

strategic intelligence

intelligence tools

intelligence cycle

fis service recipients

federal agencies relevant

federal department of

intelligence informa

switzerlands security