Imperial Service for External Security and Defence (Istalia)

The Imperial Service for External Security and Defence (istalian: Servizio Imperiale Sicurezza e Difesa Esterna), commonly known as SISDE, is the foreign intelligence service of the Istalian Empire. It is the agency supersiding of the AISER, which replaced in function after the imperial reform of 4571. Operating outside Istalia the agency protects Istalia's foreign interests mainly through the use of HUMINT (Human intelligence).

It is supervised by the DESIS, an agency part of the Imperial Community of Information and Security Services.

Role
The SISDE has the tasks of researching and developing all the necessary information to defend the independence, integrity and security of the Istalian Empire from threats from abroad, including in implementation of international agreements. SISDE also performs activities in the field of counter-proliferation of nuclear materials or materials found to be strategic, and information activities for security outside Istalian national territory, to protect Istalian political, military, economic, scientific and industrial interests, as well as detecting outside the national territory espionage activities directed against the Istalian Empire and activities aimed at damaging national interests. SISDE is authorized to perform operations only outside the Istalian national territory, as well as Istalian embassies abroad. Law expressly forbids SISDE to operate within Istalia, except if it was strictly necessary for the conduct of its operations. In this case, the rules require that the operations within the country are only to be done in collaboration with the SISDI and the Director General of the DESIS has to ensure the necessary forms of coordination and linkage information in order to avoid overlapping of functions or territory.

Organization
The AISER has a Director nominated by the Prime Minister on suggestion of the General Director of the SISDE and officially appointed by the National Assembly's Committee for Intelligence and National Security which appoints two deputy director on suggestion of the Director. The other positions within the Agency are appointed by the Director of SISDE. The director has a maximum term of 4 years and is renewable for one time only.

Structure
The structure and internal organization of the SISDE is a classified information.