DEEP DIVE — Federal prosecutors in Texas, in December, unsealed charges and related details exposing a sprawling scheme that quietly siphoned some of [...] More

12 January, 2026

Hollie McKay

12 January, 2026

Ethan Masucol

China Tech/Cyber Asia

The Open Source Report

US President Donald Trump (R) arrives to address the nation, alongside US Vice President JD Vance (L), US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C) and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (2nd R), from the White House in Washington, DC on June 21, 2025, following the announcement that the US bombed nuclear sites in Iran.

Global Intelligence Report for Monday, January 12, 2026

U.S. Steps Up Planning for Possible Action in Iran

U.S. Launches Major Strikes on Islamic State Targets in Syria

Winter pierces Kyiv homes after Russia knocks out heat

Global AI Race Shows Asia Leading as Stocks Start 2026 With Bang

Access Today’s Report

Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

Now Comes the Hard Part in Venezuela

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Now comes the hard part in Venezuela. Dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife are gone but the regime is still in power. Most Venezuelans, particularly in the diaspora, are pleased and relieved. Many are [...] More

12 January, 2026

Ambassador Patrick Duddy

12 January, 2026

Ryan Simons

Americas

Maduro and Noriega: Assessing the Analogies

Asked if there were any restraints on his global powers, [President Trump] answered: “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.”“I don’t need international law."EXPERT [...] More

12 January, 2026

Geoffrey Corn

12 January, 2026

Ryan Simons

Americas Geoffrey Corn Latin America

News & Analysis

After Maduro’s Removal, the U.S. Faces Its Hardest Test Yet in Venezuela

THE WEEKEND INTERVIEW — As Venezuela faces a moment of profound uncertainty following a dramatic U.S. operation that removed longtime strongman [...] More

10 January, 2026

Suzanne Kelly

10 January, 2026

Ryan Simons

Americas Latin America

The Kremlin Files: Russia, the Modern Surveillance State

THE KREMLIN FILES / COLUMN — Ask any Russian intelligence officer about “naruzhka,” and you’ll see them nod knowingly. It’s the term for physical, [...] More

08 January, 2026

Sean Wiswesser

08 January, 2026

Ethan Masucol

Russia Europe Intelligence

The U.S. Says it Will “Run” Venezuela. What Will That Mean?

DEEP DIVE – As audacious and complex as it was for the U.S. to extract Nicolas Maduro from Venezuela – and to do so without a single U.S. casualty – [...] More

06 January, 2026

Tom Nagorski

06 January, 2026

Ethan Masucol

Americas Latin America

Venezuela’s Key Takeaways for the World

CIPHER BRIEF EXPERT INTERVIEW – While the U.S. operation to detain Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro took just hours to execute, a full assessment [...] More

06 January, 2026

Brad Christian

06 January, 2026

Ethan Masucol

Americas Brad Christian Latin America

Opinion

Building U.S. Drone Dominance Brick by Brick

Building U.S. Drone Dominance Brick by Brick

OPINION — One of the things I loved about LEGO as a child was the ability to mix and match an endless amount of parts to create unique builds. [...] More

04 January, 2026

Phil Waymon, Master Sergeant (Ret.)

04 January, 2026

Ethan Masucol

Alternative Perspectives Tech/Cyber military

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What’s on The Cipher Brief’s Digital Channel

Russia’s Bold Move in Poland is felt in Kyiv: An On the Ground Interview with Gen. David Petraeus

How Will the West Respond to Putin’s ‘Test’ in Poland?

Ground Truth from Ukraine’s Front Lines, with Former CIA Officer Ralph Goff

Interview with former Senior CIA Officer Ralph Goff

Tapping a China Vibe in South Korea

The Open Source Report

Book Reviews

The Spy Who Came in Because He Wanted a Divorce

Cold War, Hot Zone: Inside the New Arctic Rivalry

The Global Shadow War Behind the Cold War

The Best National Security Gossip

G7 GETS SHOVED TO THE CANVAS FOR WHITE HOUSE UFC NIGHT – In one of the era’s odder foreign-policy footnotes, France has quietly moved the 2026 Group of 7 summit back a day in the middle of June - so that the meeting of senior international leaders doesn’t butt heads with a White House-hosted Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event scheduled for June 14. June 14 also happens to be U.S. Flag Day and President Trump’s 80th birthday. The UFC showdown - a mixed martial arts spectacle usually confined to arenas - will set up an octagon on the White House’s South Lawn with room for about 5,000 spectators and with an overflow [...] More

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Events

Live Events

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

Exclusive Virtual Events

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

NATO Goes 'Gloves Off'

Subscriber+ Exclusive Virtual Event

Previous Event: 08 December, 2025

CIG 2025 Winter Summit

Masoud Andarabi

04 January, 2026

Suzanne Kelly

Podcasts

State Secrets

Cipher Brief CEO & Publisher Suzanne Kelly sits down with Executive Producer Sebastian Junger to talk about the Netflix documentary ‘Marines’ and whether today’s fighting force is the one we need in today’s threat environment.

Cover Stories: Spies, Books & Entertainment

David McCloskey, former CIA Analyst turned novelist is out with his fourth book, The Persian, about an Iranian dentist who is recruited by Mossad to take on a dangerous mission inside Iran. Cover Stories Host Suzanne Kelly digs in on how McCloskey’s real-life Intelligence background fueled his latest novel, and discovers a few of McCloskey’s own secrets along the way.

What the Experts Say

The Cipher Brief’s Annual Threat Conference is a unique event where you can have deep and meaningful interactions with the top current and former leaders and thinkers from the intelligence communities of the United States and our allies. Held at the stunnning Sea Island resort, it is a must-go event for learning, debating, and interfacing with some of the world’s foremost national security thought-leaders.

Dimitri Alperovitch -- 2023 Threat Conference

Innovation requires us to be open and non-specific for as long as we possibly can to open up the aperture for the possibility of innovating.

The Hon. Susan M. Gordon - 2023 Threat Conference

There is no other location that brings together so many voices.

Norm Roule -- 2023 Threat Conference

You'll find those in leadership positions across government and industry, really wanting to sit down at the table and have hard conversations that you just don't have anywhere else.

Matt Hayden-- 2023 Threat Conference

“The Cipher Brief Threat Conference is the nation’s premier gathering of current and former intelligence and security experts. If you want to know what’s really going on—or hear some spirited debate about what’s about to happen—in our complex world, this is the place to be!"