Fast Facts

• Italy’s first unified military intelligence service, SIM, was founded in 1925 by royal decree.
• The centenary was celebrated on October 15, 2025, at the Quirinale with President Sergio Mattarella.
• Modern Italian intelligence operates under Law 124/2007, emphasizing legality and constitutional values.
• Commemorative stamp and coin were issued to honor the milestone.
• Today’s agencies - DIS, AISE, and AISI - work closely with international partners to counter global threats.

From Morse Code to Metadata: The Evolution of Italian Intelligence

Imagine a country rebuilding after World War I, anxious about secrets slipping through cracks in its defenses. In 1925, Italy established the Servizio Informazioni Militare (SIM), a bold experiment to unify the intelligence arms of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Back then, intelligence meant intercepting telegrams, decoding enemy plans, and shadowy agents exchanging envelopes in smoky cafés.

Fast-forward to 2025: the tools may have changed - encrypted chats, cyber forensics, AI-driven analysis - but the mission remains. Italy’s intelligence community now guards not just borders, but data streams, critical infrastructure, and the digital lives of its citizens. The SIM’s legacy lives on through its modern descendants: the Department of Information Security (DIS), the Agency for External Intelligence (AISE), and the Agency for Internal Security (AISI).

The Quirinale Gathering: Recognition and Reflection

The centenary celebration at the Quirinale was more than a ceremony. President Mattarella’s reception of intelligence leaders, including Alfredo Mantovano (Presidency’s Security Authority), Vittorio Rizzi (DIS), Giovanni Caravelli (AISE), and Bruno Valensise (AISI), symbolized a rare moment of public recognition for a profession built on secrecy.

Commemorative coins and stamps may seem quaint, but they mark a shift: Italian intelligence is stepping into the light, emphasizing its commitment to democracy, legality, and the safety of ordinary citizens. This openness reflects a broader European trend, as agencies adapt to threats that cross borders and screens - cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and global terrorism.

Spy Games, Old and New: Lessons from a Century

Over the last hundred years, Italian intelligence has weathered fascist regimes, Cold War intrigue, mafia infiltration, and the rise of digital warfare. Notably, the “Years of Lead” in the 1970s and 1980s saw intelligence embroiled in domestic terrorism and political scandal - a stark reminder of the dangers when state power operates without oversight.

Today, Italy’s intelligence agencies, under robust legal frameworks, work in step with European and NATO partners to counter threats from ransomware gangs, foreign espionage, and misinformation. The 2021 ransomware attacks on Italy’s Lazio region, for example, underscored the need for agile, coordinated intelligence capable of responding to cyber criminals as well as spies.

The market for intelligence - once about human assets and briefcases - is now crowded with data brokers, AI tools, and private security contractors. Geopolitically, Italy’s position at the crossroads of Europe and the Mediterranean makes it a target and a partner in the ever-evolving chessboard of international security.

WIKICROOK

• SIM (Servizio Informazioni Militare): SIM was Italy’s first unified military intelligence agency, created in 1925 to coordinate intelligence for the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
• DIS (Dipartimento delle Informazioni per la Sicurezza): DIS is Italy’s Department of Information Security, coordinating intelligence agencies and advising the government on national security and intelligence matters.
• AISE: AISE is Italy’s Agency for External Intelligence, focusing on gathering and analyzing threats and security risks outside Italy’s borders.
• AISI: AISI is Italy's Agency for Internal Security, tasked with counter-intelligence and protecting the country from domestic threats and espionage.
• Law 124/2007: Law 124/2007 reformed Italy’s intelligence system, ensuring legal compliance, transparency, and democratic oversight of national security agencies.