Six weeks into Operation Epic Fury, with airstrikes having killed a sitting supreme leader, wiped out scores of top military and intelligence [...] More

07 April, 2026

Hollie McKay

07 April, 2026

Ryan Simons

Middle East Iran

The Open Source Report

Battleship USS New Jersey on the Camden, NJ, waterfront, view from Philadelphia, PA, across the Delaware River

Global Intelligence Report for Monday, April 13, 2026

Trump says U.S. will ‘blockade’ Strait of Hormuz after no peace deal reached

Iran threatens to hit back against Middle Eastern ports

Hungary’s Orbán concedes election defeat after 16 years as prime minister

Global AI arms race quickens as competing militaries seek battlefield advantage

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Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

The Strategic Realignment: Iran, China, and the Great Power Contest

OPINION — The conflict in Iran is not solely the result of 47 years of unresolved tension. That framing misses a more consequential story: what is unfolding is a significant disruption to China's grand strategy, with [...] More

10 April, 2026

Paul Miller

10 April, 2026

Ryan Simons

International

Why Australia Needs a National Spy Museum

OPINION — Australia is entering one of the most complex and psychologically destabilizing security periods in its modern history. The ASIO Director‑General’s Annual Threat Assessment 2025 underscored a strategic [...] More

10 April, 2026

10 April, 2026

News & Analysis

Can the U.S. Win the Critical Minerals Competition?

What U.S. national security interest binds Greenland, Argentina, the Congo, and the Cook Islands? What was the impetus for the recent “strategic [...] More

02 April, 2026

Tom Nagorski

02 April, 2026

Ryan Simons

United States Americas North America

The Chalk Mark Still Matters: Russian Espionage Handling in the Modern Era

KREMLIN FILES: A brush of a hand against a park bench with chalk; or, a piece of electrical tape left on a mailbox. Sometimes it’s a coded phrase [...] More

31 March, 2026

Sean Wiswesser

31 March, 2026

Ryan Simons

KREMLIN FILES: A brush of a hand against a park bench with chalk; or, a piece of electrical tape left on a mailbox. Sometimes it’s a coded phrase [...] More

31 March, 2026

Sean Wiswesser

31 March, 2026

Ryan Simons

Blockade by Permission: How Iran Determines Who Gets Through Hormuz

For roughly two weeks, the Karachi, a Pakistani-flagged Aframax tanker loaded with crude at Das Island in Abu Dhabi, sat waiting for a signal that [...] More

30 March, 2026

Hollie McKay

30 March, 2026

Ryan Simons

For roughly two weeks, the Karachi, a Pakistani-flagged Aframax tanker loaded with crude at Das Island in Abu Dhabi, sat waiting for a signal that [...] More

30 March, 2026

Hollie McKay

30 March, 2026

Ryan Simons

Middle East Iran

Ukrainian drone operators in Zaporizhzhia direction

From Kyiv’s Skies to the Persian Gulf: How Ukraine’s Drone Technology Is Reshaping Global Defense

As Iranian-designed Shahed drones struck critical infrastructure across the Persian Gulf in early March, military planners in Washington confronted [...] More

25 March, 2026

Hollie McKay

25 March, 2026

Ryan Simons

Europe Ukraine

Opinion

America’s AI Strategy Is Fighting the Last War

America’s AI Strategy Is Fighting the Last War

America’s AI Strategy Is Fighting the Last War

OPINION — Washington’s strategy for artificial general intelligence (AGI), or the ability to replace human cognitive labor, assumes the United States [...] More

10 April, 2026

Dr. Jon Rosenwasser

10 April, 2026

Alvin W. Graylin

10 April, 2026

Ryan Simons

Tech/Cyber Alternative Perspectives

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Inside the New Battlespace: CIA Veteran Glenn Corn on Ukraine, Iran, and the War Already Underway

What does modern warfare actually look like - on the ground?

Inside Russian Intelligence: CIA Insider on Putin’s Playbook, Ukraine & the Next War

ISIS Reawakens: Bondi Beach Attack Signals a New Terror Threat

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Putin's Dangerous, Corrupt, and Often Incompetent Spies

Finally, a Taiwan Strategy That Goes Beyond "Do Something"

Thus Spoke Henry Kissinger

The Best National Security Gossip

TOUGH SPELL FOR THE PENTAGON: On Friday, the Pentagon’s “Rapid Response” social media shop posted a slick highlight sizzle reel to tout what the Department accomplished during the week. Eagle-eyed viewers noticed the chyron identifying the Assistant Press Secretary Riley Podleski rendered her title as "SECRATARY." When last we checked, it hadn’t been fixed – but hey, there’s a war on, you know? Maybe they got rid of their spell-checker when they banned Anthropic.SECRET DIS-SERVICE: It has been alleged that a Secret Service agent-in-training for some reason decided to hone his surveillance skills by hiding a spy camera in [...] More

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2026 Threat Conference

The Cipher Brief Threat Conference is the nation’s premier forum for non-partisan discussion of global threats and solutions as well as high-level [...] More

Upcoming: 25 October, 2026

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CIG's Pick: 2026 Asness Summit

Upcoming: 23 April, 2026

NATO is Moving Closer to 'Gloves Off' in the Gray Zone

NATO Goes 'Gloves Off'

Subscriber+ Exclusive Virtual Event

Beth Sanner

06 April, 2026

Ryan Simons

Podcasts

State Secrets

In this episode of State Secrets, former CIA Senior Operations Officer Sean Wiswesser examines the evolution of Russian intelligence - from Soviet-era tradecraft to modern hybrid warfare. He unpacks Moscow’s strategic mindset, its transactional relationships with partners like Iran, and its enduring focus on weakening democratic systems. With insights drawn from decades in the field, Wiswesser explains what most people misunderstand about Russia - and why that matters now more than ever.

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