007 part 1 - what is a 00 agent?

Here I start part one of the 007 series of blogs. There will be three of them, so stay tuned for the other two. First, we're looking at what being a 00 agent actually means.

00 agents are actually real in the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). The head is known by C or CSS (Chief of Secret Service), not M, but there is a secret service. The agents are typically foreign nationals, but are seen as traitors or moles to their own governments. Most operate under false identities while overseas as diplomats. Diplomats can't be arrested or prosecuted, so it is a good cover. Espionage is their job. Some were actually traitors at one point, in some cases.

London Diplomatic Event

Unlike Bond, they are known as SIS agents, not 00. The only trait shared with our famous 007 is the ability to drink and function at embassy events. It is a desk job with occasional overseas trips. Sometimes they are just going overseas to get or deliver bribe money, and rumors of making up fake agents to pocket bribe money are out there. The only real risk is being expelled by the local government. Diplomatic passports make it easy to walk away from a bad situation. The living-on-the -seat-of-your-pants missions aren't actually realistic.

Can you be a 00?

What of the title of 00? If you join after a normal career you can't, but we know bond was an ex-commander in the British Navy. What he does is more armed forces. He would be in Special Forces (SF) with an obscure group that does reconnaissance, which is more like what Bond does. Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SSR) do have cars with gadgets, drive fast, do combat with concealed weapons, and shoot guns. They are plainclothes, too, so this is more like what Bond would be doing. SSR recruited men and women, so we would see a female agent here.

SF works with Ministry of Defence. SIS and SSR are not discussed openly. SIS and SSR does special operations of somewhat military nature, too, so it is actually possible that Bond would be working for the SIS through SSR. To make a long story short, he'd have to be in SSR to do what the books and movies say he does.

MI5 and MI6

There is a difference between these two, and they are SIS. They may still be around, partially. MI5 is for intelligence inside the UK and was originally formed to identify and counteract German spies in 1909. MI6 counters threats from abroad and fights terrorism, among other things. MI, military intelligence, were discontinued and absorbed into other organizations. MI5 is technically the Secret Service now, and that was merged with Scotland Yard. MI6 fell out of disuse, but was called Foreign Intelligence Service, Secret Service, and Special Intelligence Service in its time. 

Pictures:

TV Tropes

London Diplomatic Association
Military.com
Ozel Buro

Sources:
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/10/05/james_bond_007_career_path/
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5736946/difference-mi5-mi6-spy-agencies-about/