The Five Eyes (FVEY) is an intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Five Eyes name refers to the security classification of intelligence documents: “SECRET – AUS/CAN/N.Z./U.K./U.S. EYES ONLY” or “FVEY.”
These countries are parties to the multilateral UK-USA Agreement, a treaty for joint cooperation in signals intelligence. Recommended Books for General Studies Preparation for UPSC Prelims & Mains
In 1943, after World War II ended, the United States and the United Kingdom signed an agreement to continue sharing the intelligence inputs between them.
The agreement was known as the British-U.S. Communication Agreement (BRUSA) which was later renamed as the United Kingdom-United States of America Agreement (UKUSA).
It was expanded when Canada joined the alliance in 1948, followed by Australia and New Zealand in 1956.
Norway in 1952, Denmark in 1954 and West Germany in 1955 joined the Five Eyes Network as third parties.
