Final answer:
Intelligence agencies aim to protect national security by collecting foreign intelligence and engaging in counterintelligence operations, differing from law enforcement agencies that enforce laws within national borders. The CIA is a prime example of an intelligence agency, while the FBI exemplifies a law enforcement agency. Intelligence policy plays a significant role in defense and foreign relations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The primary goals of an intelligence agency are to collect, analyze, and exploit information about foreign countries to defeat threats to national security. They operate using a variety of methods, including espionage and counterintelligence services, to protect the nation from internal threats.
Unlike agencies that focus solely on law enforcement, such as the FBI, intelligence agencies like the CIA are more involved in defense and the overt and covert gathering of information from foreign sources that might be of strategic interest. Intelligence agencies also engage in covert actions such as sabotage, assassinations, and fostering revolutions in order to support a country's foreign policy objectives.
For example, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operates with the intention of furthering the United States' national security interests abroad. Similarly, law enforcement agencies like the FBI deal with federal crimes within U.S. borders and have their activities curtailed by constitutional protections such as the Fourth Amendment.
However, there have been instances, like the Terrorist Surveillance Program, where law enforcement and intelligence operations have overlapped. It is essential to note that intelligence policy is deeply related to defense and foreign policy, and often captures the public's imagination due to its secretive and strategic nature.