After the Second World War, Italian intelligence underwent a complete reorganisation and experienced a long history of intrigue and delicate covert operations, both cooperating with NATO allies and carrying out internal counter-terrorism activities during the years of the Red and Black Brigades.

After World War II, Italy had become a crucial front in the Cold War, with the Italian Communist Party among the strongest and most influential in Western Europe, closely linked to the Soviet Union, eager to expand its influence in Europe. The United States, on the other hand, was firmly opposed to Soviet expansionism and Italy became a contested land between the two blocs, even though it was formally part of the NATO bloc. It was in this context that the Republic's first secret service was born: SIFAR (Servizio Informazioni Forze Armate - Armed Forces Information Service), established in 1949 under the close supervision of NATO and the CIA.

At that time, the main role of Italian intelligence was to work in an anti-communist function, together with the American allies. The controversial creation of the secret network Gladio can be attributed to the intelligence of those years. It was a network of anti-communist fighters ready to go into action in the event of a takeover of power by communist forces. Once the Cuban missile crisis was over, intelligence entered a new phase, characterised no longer by anti-communist containment, but by a fight against internal terrorism.

In the 1990s, the priority changed again to fighting the Mafia and Islamic terrorism, a priority that has remained the same to this day. In 2007, a major reform of the intelligence service created the AISE (External Intelligence and Security Agency) and the AISI (Internal Intelligence and Security Agency), which improved parliamentary control of the secret services and ensured greater transparency. From the anti-communist struggle to the fight against terrorism, the Italian Intelligence has undergone major improvements. Although its weight is less than that of the CIA or the British MI6, its contribution to national security is fundamental.