Benacian External Action Unit
In the year 1730 AN, amid rising tensions with the Imperial Republic of Shireroth, the Benacian Security Council authorised the establishment of a new clandestine intelligence unit - the Benacian External Action Unit (BEAU).
While nominally subordinate to the External Service of the Benacian Union, the BEAU reports directly to the Security Council itself through the newly formed Benacian Intelligence Community. This direct line to the highest echelons of power reflects the strategic significance Shireroth holds for Benacian interests.
Mission
The BEAU's primary mandate is to conduct intelligence gathering operations and special activities within the territory of the Imperial Republic and its spheres of influence. Specifically, it is tasked with:
- Surveilling and infiltrating political, military and intelligence organs in Shireroth
- Monitoring the Imperial Republic's relations with foreign powers like Calbion and Sanama
- Identifying and undermining subversive anti-Benacian elements within Shirerithian society
- Preparing contingencies for direct action or disruption if deemed an existential threat
Manpower and Resources
To maintain plausible deniability, the BEAU operates with a small handpicked cadre comprising:
- 15-20 deep cover intelligence officers and field operatives
- Support staff drawn from the Commission for the Panopticon and Main Directorate for Reconnaissance
- Analytical personnel and advisors from the Honourable Company and Benacian Union Defence Force
The BEAU's annual budget is classified, but believed to be substantial given its access to black funds and ability to temporarily reallocate resources from across the Benacian Intelligence Community when required.
Operations
Details of the BEAU's operational activities and tactics are highly compartmentalised. However, it is understood to employ an aggressive array of HUMINT and SIGINT capabilities including:
- Recruiting and running espionage agents within Shireroth's government, military and society
- Cyberwarfare and offensive computer network exploitation
- Surveillance and communications monitoring using Panopticon infrastructure
- Special reconnaissance and direct action units for targeted raids or sabotage
The overarching goal is to ensure the Imperial Republic remains comprehensively mapped across all domains from an intelligence perspective, with preparations for any contingencies.
Oversight
While ostensibly under the External Service's jurisdiction, the BEAU exists as the Security Council's mechanism for completely independent oversight over Shireroth. It operates off the books, with swap files and code words replacing traditional reporting channels.
The BEAU's existence is a closely guarded secret known only to the highest echelons of the Benacian leadership. Plausible deniability about its activities is strictly maintained, with severe penalties for unauthorised disclosures.
In the backdrop of deteriorating relations between Benacia and Shireroth's new republican government, the BEAU stands as the vanguard against any potential existential threats - a silent, ever-watchful guardian protecting the Union-State's frontiers.
