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The Cipher Brief: National Security news, analysis and expert commentary.

Interceptor Math: How Iran’s Drone Swarms Strain U.S. Defenses

With its ballistic missile arsenal depleted, Tehran is leaning on cheap drones, Russian intelligence support, and the hard economics of attrition to test U.S. and allied defenses.

Interceptor Math: How Iran’s Drone Swarms Strain U.S. Defenses

Western intelligence assessments indicate that Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal has been cut in half - from roughly 2,500 projectiles down to [...] More

Middle EastIran
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The Open Source Report

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt displays steps for U.S. citizens in the Middle East to take following U.S. strikes on Iran

Global Intelligence Report for Sunday, March 8, 2026

Thousands of Americans evacuated from Middle East on charter flights, State Department says

Iran Says It’s Close to Naming a New Supreme Leader

Trump speaks on cartels, US border at ‘Shield of the Americas’ event

US signals more aggressive responses to cyberattacks in long-awaited cyber strategy


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Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

The War’s Next Phase: Five Indicators That Matter Most

General Scott Miller (Ret.)

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE – I’m always reluctant to comment on current events, as it feels a bit like being an armchair quarterback, but I have been asked about different parts of the ongoing conflict as people are trying to get [...] More

IranMiddle EastExpert View

A Quiet Peace in the Caucasus Could Change the Balance of Power

Renee Pruneau Novakoff

COLUMN/THE BLUF: A momentous event is happening that is receiving little fanfare in the U.S. but could have major long-term implications for regional stability, save lives, and change geopolitics and trade in the south [...] More

Renee Pruneau Novakoff
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News & Analysis

Commercial vessels divert to UAE coasts amid navigation issues

The Hormuz Standoff: Global Energy Flow Severs After 'Epic Fury' Strikes

The Hormuz Standoff: Global Energy Flow Severs After 'Epic Fury' StrikesAs tensions in and around Iran proliferate, the narrow waterway between Iran [...] More

Middle EastIran

Opinion

Cheap Drones, Expensive Consequences: The New Economics of War

Cheap Drones, Expensive Consequences: The New Economics of War

Sami Omari

Cheap Drones, Expensive Consequences: The New Economics of War

OPINION -- The democratization of drone warfareWhen Ukrainian soldiers began destroying Russian tanks with inexpensive quadcopters, the economics of [...] More

Tech/CyberAlternative Perspectives

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Book Reviews

Gray Zone Games: Idov's Thriller Mirrors Today's Shadowy Reality
Gray Zone Games: Idov's Thriller Mirrors Today's Shadowy Reality

The Original Sin of Vietnam
The Original Sin of Vietnam

A Narrow Lens on China's Red Revolution
A Narrow Lens on China's Red Revolution

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The Best National Security Gossip

FRESH PRINCE OF KATHMANDU: As readers of The Cipher Brief’s March 3 Global Intelligence Report know, the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Nepal, wedged between the world's two most populous nations, just handed its government to a political party led by a former rapper. Balendra Shah, a 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician, is headed for the prime minister's office after his Rastriya Swatantra Party swept Nepal's first parliamentary election since last year's Gen Z uprising toppled the old government. Shah trained as a civil engineer before breaking through as one of Nepal's most prominent rappers, releasing music targeting [...] More

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The Cipher Brief 2026 HONORS Awards

The Cipher Brief 2026 HONORS Awards

Join us for the third annual Cipher Brief Honors Dinner, the evening of March 13, 2026. This Black-Tie event is invite only, please apply here for a [...] More

Upcoming: 13 March, 2026

Podcasts

State Secrets

Investor Gilman Louie has spent much of his career focused on future national security. Tapped by former CIA Director George Tenet to be the first CEO of the Agency’s venture capital arm and later becoming an advisor and venture capital investor, Louie has spent decades working to identify the technologies that will ensure future national security. He told State Secrets podcast host Suzanne Kelly what clues we have about China’s future ambitions and why he believes we’re facing an Oppenheimer moment with AI.