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

How Ukraine’s Ground Robots Are Changing the Battlefield

Ukraine’s Operation Vivaldi offers a glimpse of a battlefield where unmanned ground vehicles penetrate enemy lines, disrupt defenses and clear the way for infantry.

The 214th Separate Assault Battalion OPFOR Training Held In Ukraine

Operation Vivaldi, a Ukrainian military effort to repel Russian forces in the Donbas, has done much more than push back Moscow’s offensive in the [...] More

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The Open Source Report

Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

Opinion

The Soviet Roots of Russia’s Modern Disinformation War

Anti-Semitism, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. pronounced while repudiating an anti-Israel resolution adopted at the 1967 National Conference for New Politics, is “immoral.” Accordingly, the civil rights leader would [...] More

Opinion

Europe’s Changing Politics and the Future of U.S. Leadership

“And now, there is war again. There is new competition between great powers. There is vulnerability, aggression, terrorism, a whole universe of new threats and attacks again. And so, we must rebuild our institutions and [...] More

News & Analysis

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Exactly how could AI kill humans?

Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton walked out of a closed-door Capitol Hill briefing on September 17 and gave lawmakers a deadline.“Maybe a year, but not [...] More

Opinion

Who Really Makes Decisions in Tehran?

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death led to greater decentralization of the regime and a more collective, securitized decision-making system. In Iran [...] More

What’s on The Cipher Brief’s Digital Channel

Book Reviews

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SOMEBODY’S NAVY: The U.S. Navy turned 251 on October 13th, which means it’s time for our favorite annual sport: politicians saluting the American fleet with somebody else’s vessels. The Wall Street Journal’s Dave Brown once again rounded up the entries on X. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp led off with a “Happy Birthday US Navy” graphic featuring a column of Indian warships. North Carolina Congressman Tim Moore used what looks like the same Indian formation, stamped “251 Years.” Perhaps most embarrassing, Ohio State Representative Mike Dovilla said he was proud of his service in naval intelligence and posted [...] More

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Events

Live Events

2026 Threat Conference

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

The Cipher Brief 2027 HONORS Awards

The Cipher Brief 2027 HONORS Awards

Join us for the third annual Cipher Brief Honors Dinner, the evening of April 9, 2027. This Black-Tie event is invite-only. Please apply here for a [...] More

Upcoming: 09 April, 2027

Podcasts

State Secrets

A 10th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION of the State Secrets Podcast with Suzanne Kelly and Brad Christian as they share the behind-the-scenes stories from the past decade as The Cipher Brief prepares to host the Cipher Brief Threat Conference. From a world where terrorism was front and center and AI was still a curiosity, to today’s world, where China remains the pacing threat, and is buoyed by rapidly emerging technology and a new alignment with Russia, Iran and North Korea.