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

The Dangerous Trade of State Secrets

From Venezuela to Iran, a string of well-timed wagers is exposing how wartime intelligence can be monetized in public view.

​Armed supporters of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro stand guard

At just after 2 a.m. on January 3, explosions echoed across Caracas. Low-flying aircraft struck military installations. Venezuelan President Nicolás [...] More

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The Open Source Report

MADRID, SPAIN - APRIL 2026: Spanish flag in Plaza de Colon ( Columbus Square ) , the largest flag raised in Spain on April 1, 2026 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Cristina Arias/Cover/Getty Images)

Global Intelligence Report for Friday, April 24, 2026

Pentagon email reportedly floats suspending Spain from NATO, other steps over Iran rift

Trump says Israel and Lebanon have agreed to 3-week ceasefire

White House accuses China of industrial-scale theft of AI technology

Chinese satellites over Mideast battlefield put U.S. on edge


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Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

The Pentagon’s $54 Billion Bet on Autonomous Warfare

Paul Miller

OPINION — The Department of Defense does not always announce structural shifts loudly; often, it buries them in the dense columns of budget lines where only the most attentive analysts can find the seismic activity. The [...] More

Anthropic Mythos - We’ve Opened Pandora's Box

Steve Blank

EXPERT OPINION -- For a decade the cybersecurity community was predicting a cyber apocalypse tied to a single event - the day a Cryptographically Relevant Quantum Computer could run Shor’s algorithm and break the [...] More

News & Analysis

TOPSHOT-AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN-CONFLICT

Pakistan: Broker of Peace While Still at War

Just a few weeks ago, Pakistan, the host for fragile ceasefire talks aiming to end the war between the U.S. and Iran, was at war with Afghanistan in [...] More

Opinion

Half Measures and Maximum Risk in Iran

OPINION – Over the past month, U.S. and Israeli operations have killed Iran’s senior leadership, destroyed over 155 naval vessels and roughly 300 [...] More

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Book Reviews

REALLY OUT THERE — Congressman Tim Burchett (R,TN) told Piers Morgan last week, that yes, aliens are real, and he's been briefed on the videos and pictures. He also said that speaking out about the issue may be the reason behind a steady stream of death threats. Burchett has been pushing for full UAP disclosure and recently urged President Trump to "peel back the layers of that onion." He also believes ETs are currently hiding under the sea, though he says he’s not worried - reasoning that any civilization capable of interstellar travel would have "barbecued us a long time ago" if that were the plan. Not exactly [...] 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

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.