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Russia Pays the Price as Ukraine Targets Its Oil Refineries

Russia Pays the Price as Ukraine Targets Its Oil Refineries

OPINION — Following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Vladimir Putin expected a swift victory from his “special military operation.” Instead, it [...] More

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MOVE OVER MAVERICK – The Air Force just got its first all-female crew of aces. Capt. Carla Nava, weapons systems officer, and Capt. Claire “Atomic” Eddins, pilot, made history during Iran’s massive April 2024 drone-and-missile assault on Israel by racking up five confirmed kills in a single night - earning the rare ace designation - something the Air Force hadn’t handed out in decades. For Nava, now named Airman of the Year, the achievement goes beyond the combat record. It’s proof that an all-female team could break into a tradition long dominated by men - and do it under the most intense conditions in more than 50 years [...] More

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State Secrets

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently visited a warship off the coast of Puerto Rico, telling Marines and sailors that they are on the “front lines” of a critical counter-narcotics mission. Exactly what that mission is – remains murky but the statement itself was a clue to the administration’s intent. The U.S. has been beefing up military assets in the region. In this edition of The State Secrets Podcast, The Cipher Brief is talking with Renee Novakoff, former Deputy Director of Intelligence for Sensitive Activities and Special Programs at the Office of the Secretary of Defense about what we know and what we still don’t - about the Pentagon’s mission off the coast of Venezuela.

Cover Stories: Spies, Books & Entertainment

Author and former Marine Elliot Ackerman’s latest tale is about an ex-CIA Ground Branch operator who goes by his call sign, “Skwerl” and a former Afghan special ops pilot who goes by the name “Big Cheese” so you’re probably already getting a good picture of Ackerman’s latest novel Sheepdogs, which follows Skwerl and Cheese on a globe-trotting adventure from Uganda to Marseille. Cipher Brief CEO & Publisher Suzanne Kelly welcomed Ackerman to the Cover Stories Studio to talk about missing handlers, hidden cargo and shadow war.