by Matthew Dunn
Barrett M82 point fifty caliber antimateriel sniper rifle—A semiautomatic antimateriel rifle, developed by the American Barrett Firearms Manufacturing Company. The rifle has an effective range of up to two thousand yards.
BfV—Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz. Germany’s domestic intelligence and security agency, equivalent to Britain’s MI5 and the United States’ FBI.
Browning Hi-Power 9 mm handgun—One of the most widely used military pistols of all time, having been used by the armed forces of over fifty countries. The magazine holds thirteen rounds and is an excellent close-quarter weapon. However, it is heavy and has a strong recoil, making it less effective compared to the lighter and more accurate models made by Glock, Sig Sauer, and Heckler & Koch, for example.
CIA—Central Intelligence Agency. The United States’ overseas intelligence agency, tasked primarily with gathering intelligence from foreign human sources as well as conducting special operations.
Coldstream Guards—Part of the Guards Division, it is one of the elite Foot Guards regiment of the British Army.
DA—Defense attaché. Typically, a high-ranking serving military officer who is attached to one of his or her country’s overseas embassies. DAs are tasked with interacting with the embassy’s host country on a range of military matters, including military procurement.
Delta Force—Alongside DEVGRU, the United States’ primary antiterrorist special operations unit, though, like DEVGRU, it is deployable in all covert and overt theaters of war and operating environments.
DEVGRU—U.S. Naval Special Warfare Development Group, popularly known by its previous name, SEAL Team 6. It is one of the United States’ premier multifunctional special operations units and draws its recruits from other SEAL units.
DGSE—Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure. France’s overseas intelligence agency, tasked primarily with gathering intelligence from foreign human sources as well as conducting special operations.
DIA—Defense Intelligence Agency. A member of the U.S. Intelligence Community, DIA is the primary agency tasked with producing military intelligence for the United States Department of Defense.
DLB—Dead-letter box. A method of espionage tradecraft that allows one spy to pass an item, using a secret location, to another spy without their having to meet.
DSI—Dienst Speciale Interventies, or Special Intervention Service, is an elite law enforcement unit formed in 2006 to protect Dutch society from the threats of terrorism. Experts in dealing with complex situations, such as hostage taking and aircraft hijacking, the unit comprises superbly trained police snipers and Special Forces personnel from the UIM.
DSR-50 sniper rifle—A bolt-action antimateriel rifle, developed and marketed by DSR-precision GmbH of Germany. The weapon fires .50 rounds.
FN P90 submachine gun—A selective fire personal defense weapon (PDW) designed and manufactured by FN Herstal in Belgium. It was designed as a compact yet powerful weapon for law enforcement and military personnel operating in confined environments, such as vehicles and ships, as well as special forces and counterterrorism units.
FSB—Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation. The main domestic security agency of Russia, comparable to the FBI and MI5.
GCHQ—Government Communications Headquarters. The British intelligence agency responsible for providing signals intelligence (SIGINT) to the U.K. government and armed forces. Comparable to the United States’ National Security Agency (NSA).
GCP—Groupement des Commandos Parachutistes. A highly trained reconnaissance unit of the French Foreign Legion’s Parachute Regiment (2ème Régiment Étranger de Parachutistes).
Glock 17 pistol—A semiautomatic handgun, designed and produced in Austria.
GRU—Glavnoye Razvedyvatel’noye Upravleniye. The foreign military intelligence directorate of the general staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Head of Station—The most senior member of an intelligence organization’s overseas station. Typically, but not exclusively, operating out of the country’s embassies, stations can contain as few as one intelligence officer or as many as twenty or thirty personnel.
Heckler & Koch MK23 handgun—One of the favored handguns of special operations units in the United States’ Special Operations Command. It is a semiautomatic pistol and fires .45 ACP rounds.
Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun—A 9 mm German automatic weapon, and one of the most widely used submachine guns in the world. Very popular with military, law enforcement, intelligence, and security organizations.
HMG—Her Majesty’s Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
ICC—International Criminal Court. A permanent tribunal established to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, and crimes of aggression. The court’s official seat is in The Hague, Netherlands, though it can conduct legal proceedings elsewhere.
ISA—Intelligence Support Activity. One of the United States’ four tier-1 Special Missions Units, alongside Delta Force, DEVGRU, and the air force’s 24th Special Tactics Squadron. Its primary role is to obtain actionable intelligence in advance of missions conducted by Delta or DEVGRU, for example.
14th Intelligence Company—Also known as “The Det,” the highly classified British military unit was expert at surveillance in hostile locations. Used extensively from the 1970s onward, it targeted Irish Republican and Loyalist paramilitary groups. The unit has since been disbanded and its duties have been taken over by the newly established and globally deployable Special Reconnaissance Regiment.
IO—Intelligence Officer.
KGB—Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti, or Committee for State Security. It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991 and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.
Life Guards Regiment—The senior regiment of the British Army and part of the Household Cavalry.
M4A1 assault rifle—A fully automatic variant of the standard M4 carbine, the M4A1 is favored by most U.S. special operations units. Due to its compactness and firepower, the rifle is an excellent close-quarter counterterrorist weapon.
MACV-SOG—Military Assistance Command, Vietnam/Studies and Observations Group. A highly classified U.S. special operations unit that conducted covert unconventional warfare prior to and during the Vietnam War.
MI5—The British domestic intelligence agency, equivalent to the United States’ FBI, though MI5 officers have no powers of arrest.
MI6—Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). Britain’s overseas intelligence agency, tasked primarily with gathering intelligence from foreign human sources as well as conducting special operations.
Mossad—Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations. Israel’s overseas intelligence agency, tasked primarily with gathering intelligence from foreign human sources as well as conducting special operations.
MP-443 handgun—A Russian military- and police-issue pistol. It is a semiautomatic gun with a magazine containing seventeen 9 mm rounds.
National Clandestine Service (NCS)—The clandestine arm of the CIA, it has responsibility for the collection of intelligence from primarily foreign human assets based overseas and special operations.
NOC—Non-Official Cover. The cover used by intelligence officers who cannot be seen to have any official links to their government. Unlike officers who pose as diplomats and therefore can receive diplomatic immunity if they are caught spying in a country, NOCs have no such safety net and, if caught, face imprisonment or execution. Because of this threat, NOCs are handpicked for recruitment and given extensive further training. [Note author’s biography.]
NSA—National Security Agency. The United States’ agency responsible for providing signals intelligence (SIGINT) to the U.S. government and armed forces.
PB 6P9 handgun—A Russian silenced pistol, developed for Spetsnaz and intelligence agencies.
PE4—A plastic explosive used by the British
military. Like C4, it is a cream-colored solid, can be molded into any shape, is very stable, and can only be detonated by a combination of extreme heat and a shockwave, such as a detonator. PE4 has a greater velocity of detonation compared to C4.
Q Departments—Various paramilitary, surveillance, technical, and logistical departments within MI6 that support the activities of intelligence officers.
Remington 870 shotgun—A U.S. manufactured pump-action shotgun, widely used by law enforcement and military organizations throughout the world.
Rome Statute—The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court was the treaty that established the court. Adopted at a diplomatic conference in Rome in 1998, the statute established the court’s functions, jurisdiction, and structure. The court entered into force in 2002. At time of print, 121 countries are State Parties to the Rome Statute.
Royal Marines—The primary commando force of the United Kingdom. Formed in 1755, the force was initially solely an amphibious infantry unit. Though it is still under the command of the Royal Navy, it is now recognized as one of the world’s leading combat units in all other combat spheres including air, desert, arctic, and jungle.
Safe House—Residential or commercial properties owned or rented by intelligence agencies and used for covert meetings, surveillance, interrogations, and other matters.
SAM—Surface to Air Missile.
SAR—Search & Rescue vessels belonging to Poland’s coastal fleets.
SAS—Special Air Service. The world’s oldest, most experienced, and arguably most effective special operations unit, the British SAS is regarded as the benchmark for all tier-1 units and special forces around the world.
SBS—Special Boat Service. A U.K. special forces unit, directly comparable to the United States’ DEVGRU (SEAL Team 6), though the SBS is older and more experienced. Recruitment and selection into the SBS are considered even tougher than entry into the renowned SAS.
SEALs—Sea, Air, Land teams. U.S. special operations personnel who can operate in any combat environment. Highly trained and very effective.
Sig Sauer P226 handgun—In service with numerous military and law enforcement units worldwide, the Swiss-designed and German-manufactured weapon has many variants. Due to its superb resistance to extreme conditions and excellent accuracy, it has become the preferred handgun for SEALs personnel.
SOG—Special Operations Group. The paramilitary wing of the CIA’s Special Activities Division. Many members are drawn from Delta Force and DEVGRU.
Spartan Program—The twelve-month-long selection program for premier MI6 officers in which they attempt to attain the code name “Spartan.” Only one officer at a time is allowed to endure the program, and only one successful trainee is allowed to carry the code name until his death or retirement.
Spartan Section—The highly secretive joint MI6/CIA unit that supports the Spartan MI6 officer.
Spetsnaz—The generic term for Russian special forces. The Russian army, navy, GRU, and SVR all have Spetsnaz units attached to them and under their command. They are wholly separate units. For example, Spetsnaz Alpha (SVR) is a completely different unit from Spetsnaz Vympel (GRU), and recruitment, selection, and training follow different paths.
SSCI—Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. An organization created in 1976 after Congress had investigated CIA operations on U.S. soil and established that some had been illegal. The SSCI comprises fifteen senators who are drawn from the major political parties and whose remit includes oversight of U.S. intelligence activities and ensuring transparency between the intelligence community and Congress.
Stasi—The Ministry for State Security was East Germany’s official state security service. Headquartered in East Berlin, the Stasi was one of the world’s most effective and ruthless intelligence and security agencies.
SVR—Sluzhba Vneshney Razvedki. Russia’s primary overseas intelligence agency, comparable to Britain’s MI6 and the United States’ CIA.
UIM—Unit Interventie Mariniers. A Dutch special forces unit that specializes in counterterrorism missions. Able to operate inside and outside the Netherlands, the unit is expert at direct action, surveillance, and maritime operations.
USP .45 Tactical pistol—A semiautomatic handgun designed and manufactured by Heckler & Koch in Germany. Incorporating an excellent recoil reduction mechanical system, the weapon is able to fire the powerful .45 rounds with superb accuracy. Given this, and its resilience to harsh conditions, the handgun and other USP variants are very popular with special forces and elite law enforcement units.
Vauxhall Cross—An area of south London, adjacent to the river Thames and home to the headquarters of MI6.
Acknowledgments
To Jon Wood and the team at Orion (U.K.), David Highfill and the team at William Morrow/HarperCollins (U.S.), Luigi Bonomi and Alison and the rest of the team at LBA, Judith, and the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6).
Excerpt from The Spy House by Matthew Dunn
coming fall 2015 from William Morrow
One
Place des Vosges, Paris
Israel’s ambassador to France was due to retire in three months, but that wasn’t going to happen because in six minutes he’d be dead.
He had no inkling of his imminent demise, given he was a healthy fifty nine year old who’d recently undergone a full medical check-up and had been told by his doctor that he wasn’t going to die anytime soon. In fairness, his doctor could not be expected to anticipate that his patient’s heart might be targeted by a sniper.
The ambassador was not alone as he walked through Paris’ oldest square. Tourists were ambling nearby, taking photos of the striking and identical seventeenth century red-brick households that surrounded the square. Children were playing tag, running through the vaulted arcades. Lovers were strolling arm in arm, admiring the manicured lawns that partly covered the interior of the square, and the rows of trees that had turned an autumnal russet.
Walking forty yards behind the ambassador were three men who had pistols secreted under their suit jackets.
The ambassador took a walk through the square every lunchtime, and on each occasion his bodyguards wished they could be closer to their charge. But the ambassador was stubborn and insisted they kept their distance, so that he could have space to unclutter his mind from the hundreds of tasks and problems sent his way during the course of the morning.
Today, he was deep in thought on one issue: indications that American and European support for Israel was on the wane.
He reached the fountain in the center of the square and stopped. He’d been here so many times that his eyes barely registered his surroundings, nor his ears the sound of running water. His bodyguard detail also stopped, silently wishing the ambassador wouldn’t do things like this and make him an easy target. Their hands were close to their weapons, ready to pull them out and shoot anyone who ran toward the senior diplomat while carrying a knife, bomb, or gun.
The ambassador moved on.
His protectors kept pace with him.
They were good bodyguards - ex-Special Forces who’d been given subsequent training in surveillance, close protection, evasive driving, and rapid takedown of hostile attackers. But the Place des Vosges was a nightmare environment for such men. Too big, too many buildings, windows, people, entrances and exits, and open spaces. They couldn’t be blamed for not spotting the sniper behind one of the top floor windows of a house that was seventy yards away. That window was one of hundreds that looked onto the square. And the sniper had chosen it because at this time of day the sun reflected off it and made it impossible to see anyone behind the glass.
There was no noise when the bullet left his silenced rifle, penetrated the window, travelled across the square, and entered the ambassador’s heart. But when the diplomat collapsed to the ground, the square became chaotic and loud. Some people were running toward the dead man shouting. Others screamed, remained still, held hands to their mouths and pointed at the body. The bodyguards raced to the
ambassador, yelling at everyone to get out of their way, their withdrawn handguns now inducing fear and panic into the square.
Many believed the armed men must have shot the man. Some fled the scene; others threw themselves to the grounds; mothers grabbed their children and held them close, their expressions filled with horror. The bodyguards ignored them all.
When they reached the body, they rolled it onto its back. They cursed in Hebrew as they saw the bullet entry point in the ambassador’s chest. One of them checked for a pulse, though it was obvious the diplomat was dead. The others scoured their surroundings for signs of a man holding a high velocity rifle.
They saw no one like that.
The sniper had vanished.
For the last few months, Britain’s MI6 and its American equivalent, the CIA, believed that I’d been sitting at home doing nothing. MI6 occasionally checked up on me but it had always given me advance notice of its visits, meaning I could make sure I was at my South London pad when the service’s Welfare Department came knocking. Tonight, the agencies probably thought I was going out for a few beers to drown my sorrows. After all, tomorrow was officially my last day as an employed field operative of Western Intelligence, because during my last mission a malevolent U.S. senator revealed my identity to the world’s media, I tore apart Washington DC to get answers, and the joint U.S.-U.K. task force I worked for was shut down.
My employers told me I’d become a loose cannon without portfolio, and added that I should be grateful that they were giving me four months on full pay to allow me to idle and decompress after nine years of near constant deployment. And I was told to use that time to learn how to integrate into normal society. Trouble was, I don’t do decompression or integration well, and though I’ve enough sorrows to fill up a hundred lives, I rarely feel the need to drown them.
Instead, they are prone to drowning me if I stay still for too long.