Joint Situation Centre
The Joint Situation Centre (JSC or SitCen) is an intelligence body of the European Union (EU). It is part of the European External Action Service (EEAS) and is under the authority of the EU's High Representative.
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[edit] Role
The Situation Centre aims "to provide the Council with high quality information"[1] on matters of public security, in the form of early warnings, assessment, services in case of emergency, and by constituting a contact between the High Representative and the intelligence community of the countries of the EU. The JSC also takes part in the Club de Berne.
[edit] History
The Situation Centre has its roots in the European Security and Defence Policy of 1999, which put a group of analysts working on open source intelligence under the supervision of the then-High Representative Javier Solana.[2] William Shapcott was the first head of SitCen, appointed in 2001. In the wake of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington of 11 September 2001, a sub-unit specialised in terrorism, the Counter-Terrorism Group (CTG), was founded.
In 2002, the Situation Centre started to be a forum for exchange of sensitive information between the services of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.[2] While its initial mission focused on assessment of situations abroad, in June 2004, Solana expanded its domain of interest to terrorist threats within the EU.[2]
[edit] Organisation
As of 2010[update], the Situation Centre is divided into three units:
- the Civilian intelligence Cell (CIC), comprising civilian intelligence analysts working on political and counter-terrorism assessment;
- the General Operations Unit (GOU), providing 24-hour operational support, research and non-intelligence analysis;
- and the Communications Unit, handling communications security issues and running the council's communications centre (ComCen).
Staff amounts to a hundred people, based in Brussels in the Justus Lipsius building and in the Cortenberg, where the European Union Military Staff is located[3]. It cooperates with EU Military Staff and the Council to operated the European Union Satellite Centre, which provides satellite imagery and analysis [4].
[edit] References
- ^ "Select Committee on European Union: Seventh Report, Appendix 5". http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld200203/ldselect/ldeucom/53/5313.htm. Retrieved 21 February 2009.
- ^ a b c "Secret Truth". http://www.statewatch.org/news/2009/aug/SitCen2009.pdf. Retrieved 21 February 2009.
- ^ L'Europe a aussi ses propres agents secrets, Ouest France, 21 February 2010
- ^ "The Centre's Users". http://www.eusc.europa.eu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7&Itemid=15. Retrieved 21 February 2009.
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