Concept of intelligence has become hard power: Turkish interior minister

By Ali Kemal Akan, Yesim Sert Karaaslan, Aybuke Inal Kamaci

ANKARA (AA) - The concept of intelligence has become hard power rather than soft power compared to the past, and security is now one of the main paradigms of the world, Turkey’s interior minister said Thursday.

Suleyman Soylu told the International Security Congress at Gendarmerie and Coast Guard Academy that intelligence and information spheres have become very close in recent years.

“If open source information is processed correctly, it becomes intelligence data and intelligence logic is focused on transforming all kinds of information around it into intelligence,” said Soylu, who added that classical intelligence methods have started to be replaced by more specific intelligence like technical intelligence, signal measurement and trace.

The cost of intelligence has decreased little in this way, according to Soylu, who emphasized that field intelligence still maintains its importance. He said digital intelligence is moving toward being the roof of intelligence.

“Another area where Turkey has been successful has been the rapid and strong adaptation to cyber technologies in both cyber security and intelligence,” he said.

With the intelligence work that Turkey has been carrying out, the country has prevented 132 terror attacks and neutralized 57 so-called senior members of a terror group so far this year, he said.

*Writing by Busra Nur Cakmak