National Security is Everyone’s Business
Get smart with expert insights on today’s most-pressing national security issues.
- Trending Topics
- The Cipher Brief Open Source Report for Friday, August 12, 2022
Subscriber+ Member Content
It pays to be a Subscriber+ Member. Upgrade your access today.
Members Only The New Age of Energy Crisis and Diplomacy
The energy pressures created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are continuing to shape a new global energy future. An EU embargo on Russian coal imports […] More
Justice by Hellfire: The Killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri
It’s possible that the terrorist leader, wanted for his role in plotting the 9/11 attacks and later becoming the head of al Qaeda after the […] More
Today’s Terrorist Threat
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — MI5 Director General, Ken McCallum’s, joint address on 6th July with the FBI Chief saw a welcome rebalancing of the Security Service’s […] More
The Middle East and the Cost of Strategic Inconsistency
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — The main objective of President Joe Biden’s recent trip to the Middle East was to signal to both partners and adversaries that […] More
Free Access The Biggest Winner in Ukraine is Beijing
This article is free to view for a limited time“The Cipher Brief has become the most popular outlet for former intelligence officers; no media outlet is even a close second to The Cipher Brief […] More
Each week, we deliver tidbits of national security gossip for our members.
This Week’s Dead Drop: August 12
JUNIOR G MAN: Last week’s Dead Drop had an item about a 26-year-old California man who was arrested for scamming women by pretending to be a CIA officer. This week, we have a story about a 24-year-old congressional staffer, Sterling Devion Carter, who liked to play being an FBI agent. According to The Daily Beast, Carter owned a vehicle he modified to look like a cop car, adding a siren and flashing lights, and openly carried a firearm in the District of Columbia. His story goes back to late 2020, but is just coming to light now. Real law enforcement types spotted Carter wearing a black T-shirt that read “federal agent.” He was wearing a policy duty belt, with a Glock pistol, extra [...]
To learn more about the Cyber Initiatives Group and register for the virtual Summer Summit, visit cyberinitiativesgroup.comNational Security Virtual Briefings
Weekly webcasts for our members. View all upcoming briefings
No upcoming virtual briefings found
Our Expert Briefing Vault
Expert Insights
Deeply experienced insights from our Expert network.
OPINION — Last Friday, while public attention was focused on Chinese military exercises around Taiwan and the vague threat of possible warfare, a Senate Foreign [...] More
OPINION — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent highly provocative trip to Taiwan has placed China, Taiwan, and America front and center at the most dangerous [...] More
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — China’s reaction to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan was even more aggressive than anticipated. Fighter jets crossing the median line [...] More
OPINION — There are undoubtedly those who wonder why the President of the United States would bother to address the American public about the death [...] More
What the Experts Say
Since retiring from CIA in 2017, I’ve been honored to be a part of the exceptional Cipher Brief team providing expert assessment – whether it’s nuclear proliferation, transnational terrorism, and climate change or hard targets like Iran, North Korea, China, and Russia – The Cipher Brief delivers without the predisposed ideological bias so often prevalent in today’s discourse.
Daniel Hoffman
Former CIA Chief of Station
The Cipher Brief is comprehensive providing in-depth expertise that spans globally relevant issues. In a world that is constantly changing, The Cipher Brief is proactive in identifying the critical conversations and engaging subject matter experts in the public and private sectors to help drive solutions.
General Keith Alexander
Former Director, National Security Agency
The Cipher Brief offers insights from a large number of deeply-experienced national security experts. Their articles are the result of decades of immersion in the critical issues facing the world today as well as the public and private sector decision making associated with these problems. There is no other source with such a network of expertise.
Norm Roule
Former National Intelligence Manager for Iran, ODNI
For privileged insights into the events of the day which shape the world of tomorrow, there is no better source than The Cipher Brief. Independent, fact-based, and infused with the hard-earned perspectives of its experts, The Cipher Brief stands apart and above.
Paul Kolbe
Director of The Intelligence Project at Harvard University's Belfer Center
The Cipher Brief has emerged as the go-to source for analysis and insights on cyber and national security. As the global security landscape has become increasingly complex, The Cipher Brief has become indispensable – providing a non-partisan platform for experts from government and business to share views, learn from each other, and work together to find new partners and solutions.
Matt Olsen
Former Director, National Counterterrorism Center