Covert operation According to the U . S . " Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms " , a covert operation ( also as CoveOps or covert ops ) is " an operation that is so planned and executed as to conceal the identity of or permit plausible denial by the sponsor . " It is intended to create a political effect which can have implications in the military , intelligence or law enforcement arenas . Covert operations aim to fulfill their mission objectives without any parties knowing who sponsored or carried out the operation . Under United States law , the Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA ) must lead covert operations unless the president finds that another agency should do so and properly informs the Congress . Normally , the CIA is the US Government agency legally allowed to carry out covert action . The CIA ' s authority to conduct covert action comes from the National Security Act of 1947 . President Ronald Reagan issued Executive Order 12333 titled in 1984 . This order defined covert action as " special activities " , both political and military , that the US Government could legally deny . The CIA was also designated as the sole authority under the 1991 Intelligence Authorization Act and in Title 50 of the United States Code Section 413 ( e ) . The CIA must have a " Presidential Finding " issued by the President of the United States in order to conduct these activities under the Hughes - Ryan amendment to the 1991 Intelligence Authorization Act . These findings are then monitored by the oversight committees in both the US Senate and the House of Representatives . As a result of this framework , the CIA " receives more oversight from the Congress than any other agency in the federal government " . The Special Activities Division ( SAD ) is a division of the CIA ' s National Clandestine Service , responsible for Covert Action and " Special Activities " . These special activities include covert political influence and paramilitary operations . The division is overseen by the United States Secretary of State . Law enforcement . Undercover operations ( such as sting operation s or infiltration of organized crime groups ) are conducted by law enforcement agencies to deter and detect crime and to gather information for future arrest and prosecution . Military intelligence and foreign policy . Covert operations and clandestine operation s are distinct . The Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms ( Joint Publication JP1 - 02 ) , defines " covert operation " as " an operation that is so planned and executed as to conceal the identity of or permit plausible denial by the sponsor . A covert operation differs from a clandestine operation in that emphasis is placed on concealment of identity of sponsor rather than on concealment of the operation . " The United States Department of Defense definition has been used by the United States and NATO since World War II . In a covert operation , the identity of the sponsor is concealed , while in a clandestine operation the operation itself is concealed . Put differently , " clandestine " means " hidden , " while " covert " means " deniable . " The term " stealth " refers both to a broad set of tactics aimed at providing and preserving the element of surprise and reducing enemy resistance and to a set of technologies ( stealth technology ) to aid in those tactics . While secrecy and stealthiness are often desired in clandestine and covert operations , the terms " secret " and " stealthy " are not used to formally describe types of missions . Covert operations are employed in situations where openly operating against a target would be disadvantageous . These operations are generally illegal in the target state and are frequently in violation of the laws of the sponsoring country . Operations may be directed at or conducted with allies and friends to secure their support for controversial components of foreign policy throughout the world . Covert operations may include sabotage , assassinations , support for coups d ' état , or support for subversion . Tactics include the use of a false flag or front group . The activity of organizations engaged in covert operations is in some instances similar to , or overlaps with , the activity of front organization s . While covert organizations are generally of a more official military or paramilitary nature , like the DVS German Air Transport School in the Nazi era , the line between both becomes muddled in the case of front organizations engaged in terrorist activities and organized crime . Notable covert operators . The following persons are known to have participated in covert operations , as distinct from clandestine intelligence gathering ( espionage ) either by their own admission or by the accounts of others : Representations in popular culture . Covert operations have often been the subject of popular novels , films , TV series , comics , etc . The Company is a fictional covert organization featured in the American television drama / thriller series " Prison Break " . Also other series that deal with covert operations are " " , " Alias " , " Burn Notice " , " The Unit " , " The State Within " , " Covert Affairs " and " 24 " .