The Five Eyes Intelligence Alliance remains

I don’t know if this will be accepted these days, but as a result it was called the “four eyes.” Then, in my mid-50s, after undergoing laser ophthalmology surgery to correct myopia, I became hyperopia and now I need to read glasses (does it make me look six?). I’m not alone with this, but it’s annoying.

Another “eye” entity may experience some trouble immediately. Will it be reduced to the fourth eye?

For those new to this group, the five eyes are the placement of intelligence sharing among the five Anglo-centric countries that began during World War II. Initially, the alliance was between the UK and the US. Canada later joined, followed by Australia and New Zealand. It is the most successful and important intelligence collaboration in human history.

I had a front row seating for 32 years with five eyes. We collaborated with two of Canada’s most important spy agencies: Communications Security Facilities (CSE) and Canada Security Intelligence Services (CSIS). I had access to the highly sensitive data I shared with my allies and received equally valuable intelligence in return.

However, this collaboration could be at risk. The new US administration has made it fully clear that it sees everything through a narrow lens of “what’s in for us.” If you perceive it right or wrong, giving you more than it is receiving, it could end the relationship.

Related Stories

In fact, Canada offers much more benefits from this intelligence exchange. This imbalance is a limited intelligence capacity, presence at the global stage, and perhaps most importantly, our weak intelligence and national security culture (I have been lamenting for years on these pages) It comes from the source. Simply put, we don’t invest enough in collecting and processing intelligence. To be clear, what we produce is high quality (at least when I was working in the field), but it pales in comparison to what our allies offer.

Without the US, under its trading leadership, it cannot be determined that sharing information with Canada is no longer in its interest. The same could happen to other members of the alliance. There is precedent for such actions. In the 1980s, the United States temporarily separated New Zealand from the alliance over a conflict that docked naval vessels suspected of carrying nuclear weapons.

If this scenario unfolds (and I sincerely hope that it doesn’t), Canada will face both significant costs and potential opportunities. First and foremost, consumers at Five Eyes Intelligence in Canada receive dramatically reduced amounts of information. Most of the foreign information used in Canada is not produced domestically. As a result, our decision makers are not equipped to develop policies and evaluate global development.

On the occasion, this crisis can rekindle long-standing debate over why Canada is the only five-eyed member without a dedicated foreign intelligence agency (with the US CIA and UK MI6) is different). CSE collects foreign information, but is limited to Signal Intelligence (SIGINT). CSIS has foreign intelligence reporting agencies under section 16 of the CSIS Act, but collects the intentions of “Canadian” foreign actors (the intellect of human intelligence (himani) only for conflicts with “foreign” intelligence report. You can do it.

Despite the federal government’s categorically rejection of discussion about such agencies, it may be time to seriously consider the creation of foreign humint services. To establish such an agency, it takes a considerable amount of investment and years to be effective, but we may need to protect our interests.

Ultimately, the disbandment of the Five Eyes Alliance undermines all members and benefits nothing. Unfortunately, it may not be important to power. Still, it would be tragic to see this alliance unravel after 75 important and highly effective cooperation. I hope my pessimism proves unfairly.

The views expressed in this article are the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the epoch era.