Six weeks into Operation Epic Fury, with airstrikes having killed a sitting supreme leader, wiped out scores of top military and intelligence [...] More

07 April, 2026

Hollie McKay

07 April, 2026

Ryan Simons

Middle East Iran

The Open Source Report

Global Intelligence Report for Friday, April 10, 2026

Trump asks Netanyahu to limit attacks on Lebanon as U.S. races to prevent ceasefire collapse

Russia and Ukraine agree on 32-hour Orthodox Easter ceasefire

UK and Norway foiled secret Russian submarine operation

CIA using AI to help analyze intel from human spies

Access Today’s Report

Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

Why Australia Needs a National Spy Museum

OPINION — Australia is entering one of the most complex and psychologically destabilizing security periods in its modern history. The ASIO Director‑General’s Annual Threat Assessment 2025 underscored a strategic [...] More

10 April, 2026

Liesl Jordan

10 April, 2026

Ryan Simons

Liesl Jordan

America’s Drone Strategy Has a Supply Chain Problem

OPINION — In this issue we will discuss implications of the Drone Dominance Program, how weakness in the U.S. industrial base has been laid bare, and how the war with Iran could benefit our adversaries. Private capital [...] More

09 April, 2026

09 April, 2026

News & Analysis

Can the U.S. Win the Critical Minerals Competition?

What U.S. national security interest binds Greenland, Argentina, the Congo, and the Cook Islands? What was the impetus for the recent “strategic [...] More

02 April, 2026

Tom Nagorski

02 April, 2026

Ryan Simons

United States Americas North America

The Chalk Mark Still Matters: Russian Espionage Handling in the Modern Era

KREMLIN FILES: A brush of a hand against a park bench with chalk; or, a piece of electrical tape left on a mailbox. Sometimes it’s a coded phrase [...] More

31 March, 2026

Sean Wiswesser

31 March, 2026

Ryan Simons

KREMLIN FILES: A brush of a hand against a park bench with chalk; or, a piece of electrical tape left on a mailbox. Sometimes it’s a coded phrase [...] More

31 March, 2026

Sean Wiswesser

31 March, 2026

Ryan Simons

Blockade by Permission: How Iran Determines Who Gets Through Hormuz

For roughly two weeks, the Karachi, a Pakistani-flagged Aframax tanker loaded with crude at Das Island in Abu Dhabi, sat waiting for a signal that [...] More

30 March, 2026

Hollie McKay

30 March, 2026

Ryan Simons

For roughly two weeks, the Karachi, a Pakistani-flagged Aframax tanker loaded with crude at Das Island in Abu Dhabi, sat waiting for a signal that [...] More

30 March, 2026

Hollie McKay

30 March, 2026

Ryan Simons

Middle East Iran

Ukrainian drone operators in Zaporizhzhia direction

From Kyiv’s Skies to the Persian Gulf: How Ukraine’s Drone Technology Is Reshaping Global Defense

As Iranian-designed Shahed drones struck critical infrastructure across the Persian Gulf in early March, military planners in Washington confronted [...] More

25 March, 2026

Hollie McKay

25 March, 2026

Ryan Simons

Europe Ukraine

Opinion

America’s AI Strategy Is Fighting the Last War

America’s AI Strategy Is Fighting the Last War

America’s AI Strategy Is Fighting the Last War

OPINION — Washington’s strategy for artificial general intelligence (AGI), or the ability to replace human cognitive labor, assumes the United States [...] More

10 April, 2026

Dr. Jon Rosenwasser

10 April, 2026

Alvin W. Graylin

10 April, 2026

Ryan Simons

Tech/Cyber Alternative Perspectives

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Inside the New Battlespace: CIA Veteran Glenn Corn on Ukraine, Iran, and the War Already Underway

What does modern warfare actually look like - on the ground?

Inside Russian Intelligence: CIA Insider on Putin’s Playbook, Ukraine & the Next War

ISIS Reawakens: Bondi Beach Attack Signals a New Terror Threat

Book Reviews

Putin's Dangerous, Corrupt, and Often Incompetent Spies

Finally, a Taiwan Strategy That Goes Beyond "Do Something"

Thus Spoke Henry Kissinger

The Best National Security Gossip

RUMOR HAS IT — According to an Axios report, President Trump was ready to fire Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard over her failure to fully endorse the Iran war during recent congressional testimony — that is, until longtime Trump friend and adviser Roger Stone reportedly stepped in and saved her job. Axios cites sources saying the troubles began with the resignation of former counterterrorism director Joe Kent, after which Trump reportedly “scolded” Gabbard in a private meeting and questioned her loyalty given her closeness with Kent. Trump then reportedly polled his Cabinet on whether he should replace [...] More

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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

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

NATO Goes 'Gloves Off'

Subscriber+ Exclusive Virtual Event

Beth Sanner

06 April, 2026

Ryan Simons

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.

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