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

How China Built AI Dominance on Stolen American Silicon

Inside Beijing’s all-of-the-above strategy to steal, smuggle, and scale AI power

How China Built AI Dominance on Stolen American Silicon

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

ChinaTech/CyberAsia
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The Open Source Report

The Pentagon building, located in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.

Global Intelligence Report for Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Pentagon studies device it “acquired” that could be linked to Havana Syndrome

Russia launches concentrated assault on Ukraine's two largest cities, officials and media say

NATO boss on Trump’s Greenland threats: Chill out, this is fine

Trump Says Iran Seeks Talks as Death Toll in Protests Nears 2000

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Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

Iran’s Crumbling Revolutionary Facade: How Today’s Protests Could Reshape the Region in 2026

Paula Doyle

EXPERT OPINION — I am closely watching the growing size and momentum of protesters across Iran’s cities, rural areas, and pious communities who are bravely and vocally rejecting the Supreme Leader’s broken policies. They [...] More

IranMiddle EastPaula Doyle

Trump’s Power Doctrine: A $1.5 Trillion Military, Greenland Ambitions, and a World Ruled by Force

Walter Pincus

OPINION — “After long and difficult negotiations with Senators, Congressmen, Secretaries, and other Political Representatives, I have determined that, for the Good of our Country, especially in these very troubled and [...] More

AmericasNorth AmericaUnited StatesWalter PincusFine Printmilitary
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News & Analysis

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

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

AmericasLatin America

Opinion

Building U.S. Drone Dominance Brick by Brick

Phil Waymon, Master Sergeant (Ret.)

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

Alternative PerspectivesTech/Cybermilitary

What’s on The Cipher Brief’s Digital Channel

Tapping a China Vibe in South Koreaplay icon

Tapping a China Vibe in South Korea

The Open Source Report

Book Reviews

The Spy Who Came in Because He Wanted a Divorce
The Spy Who Came in Because He Wanted a Divorce

Cold War, Hot Zone: Inside the New Arctic Rivalry
Cold War, Hot Zone: Inside the New Arctic Rivalry

The Global Shadow War Behind the Cold War
The Global Shadow War Behind the Cold War

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The Best National Security Gossip

THE DEVIL'S IN THE DETAILS: Pete Hegseth announced in a speech this week that DOD is about to integrate Elon Musk’s Grok AI chatbot across both its classified and unclassified networks as part of a new AI Acceleration Strategy. Hegseth says the goal is to get “the world’s leading AI models” embedded throughout the military’s systems, feeding everything from unclassified data to intelligence databases into generative AI for analysis, planning, and decision support. Hegseth signaled that Grok will go live later this month, standing shoulder‑to‑shoulder with others like Google’s AI engines in DoD workflows. It’s kind of [...] More

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Events

Live Events

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

Cipher Brief CEO & Publisher Suzanne Kelly catches up with former BBC Correspondent and Author Gordon Corera to talk about the spy story he found in the archives: the subject of his new book, The Spy in the Archive: How One Man Tried to Kill the KGB as well as what he’s learned from decades of covering the world of espionage and his assessment of MI6’s new Chief.

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.