intelligence agency
noun1
A governmental agency that is tasked with information gathering (known in the context as "intelligence") for purposes of national security and defense.
- A mysterious maverick to say the least, the Illusive Man heads the Cerberus network. Dubbed "the illusive empire" by investigators, Cerberus is an allegedly untraceable syndicate of private intelligence agencies, biotics laboratories, engineering and scientific research teams, and lucrative front companies.2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Cerberus: The Illusive Man Codex entry: