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

A Former CIA Station Chief on Kyiv Under Drone Siege

The Cipher Brief speaks with Ralph Goff, a former senior CIA officer and Cipher Brief expert, live from Kyiv.

SBU HEADQUARTERS DRONE STRIKE

Reporting live from Kyiv, Cipher Brief expert and former senior CIA officer Ralph Goff walks CEO and Publisher Suzanne Kelly through a drone strike [...] More

Europe Ukraine

Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

Opinion

The AI We Cannot Deploy — And What Is at Stake

Richard Berry

Last week, I argued in these pages that the United States is buying an army it cannot command — writing procurement checks at a scale its adversaries cannot match, without writing the doctrine or arbitration to decide how [...] More

Opinion

Inside Trump’s Massive Venezuela Oil Deal

Walter Pincus

“A major oil agreement has been announced between the government of the United States and the [Venezuelan interim] regime of Delcy Rodriquez. I know what you [Venezuelans] are feeling, sadness, anger and that painful [...] More

Walter Pincus Fine Print
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News & Analysis

Iranians Commemorate The Death Of Imam Reza

Inside Iran’s New Wartime Leadership

Tehran’s new power brokersA wave of assassinations rebuilt Iran’s leadership from the top down, leaving a severely wounded supreme leader and a [...] More

Middle East Iran

Opinion

Q&A with former CIA Operations Officer James 'Mad Dog' Lawler

Emmanouil M. Karatarakis

Q&A with former CIA Operations Officer James 'Mad Dog' Lawler

James Lawler serves as a national security consultant and is a noted speaker on the Insider Threat in government, academia and industry. He has been [...] More

Alternative Perspectives Emmanouil M. Karatarakis

What’s on The Cipher Brief’s Digital Channel

Book Reviews

A Quarter-Century Reckoning With America's War On Terror
A Quarter-Century Reckoning With America's War On Terror

Debut Spy Thriller Short On Tradecraft — Long On Thrills
Debut Spy Thriller Short On Tradecraft — Long On Thrills

From Ground Zero to Grace — A Journey Through Trauma to Service
From Ground Zero to Grace — A Journey Through Trauma to Service

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The Best National Security Gossip

ROBO-COP OUT: CHINA TRAINS THE BOTS: China's military is exploring humanoid robots for reconnaissance, logistics, hazardous missions and urban combat. According to Reuters, one project at the National University of Defense Technology has six robots working in two assault teams to clear buildings. The news agency reviewed more than 100 Chinese military procurement documents and papers, including one competition that simulated robots "infiltrating behind enemy lines." Here’s the rub here: China has the manufacturing edge. Its companies built about 95 percent of the world's humanoid robots that were shipped in 2025, and this [...] 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

Artificial intelligence, drones and commercial satellites are transforming the way intelligence is collected, analyzed and used — but as technology delivers answers faster than ever, how do intelligence professionals make sure those answers are actually right?

In this episode of The Cipher Brief’s State Secrets Podcast, Suzanne Kelly sits down with retired Vice Admiral Trey Whitworth, former Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and former Director for Intelligence on the Joint Staff, to discuss how emerging technology is changing intelligence and the character of modern warfare.
Whitworth explains his concept of “drones, codes and spacecraft,” why AI could fundamentally change the intelligence cycle, and the danger of what he calls a “veneer of understanding” — having information at our fingertips without the expertise or rigor needed to truly understand it.

The conversation also explores source validation in the age of AI, the changing nature of deterrence, NGA’s role in warning and targeting, the growing importance of commercial satellite imagery, and Whitworth’s move from government into the private sector.