Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

cipherbrief

Welcome! Log in to stay connected and make the most of your experience.

Input clean

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

The Kremlin's Kill List: Inside a Culture of State-Sponsored Murder

Russian intelligence agencies have been executing defectors, dissidents, and rivals for more than a century. Under Putin, the practice has become strategic—and celebrated

The Kremlin's Kill List: Inside a Culture of State-Sponsored Murder

EXPERT OPINION / PERSPECTIVE — The 2024 spy swap between Russia and the West exposed a brutal truth: Moscow still treats innocent civilians as [...] More

Open Source Report logo

The Open Source Report

US President Donald Trump speaks alongside Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth during a Cabinet Meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC on December 2, 2025.

Global Intelligence Report for Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Hegseth claims he did not see strike on alleged drug boat that killed wounded survivors

Russia says no deal so far after ‘constructive’ five-hour Putin talks with Trump emissaries

Putin warns Europe that Russia is ready for war and prepared to win

China Appeals to Europe to Join Its Diplomatic Offensive Against Japan

Access Today’s Report

Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

The Strategic Failure on North Korea’s Nuclear Rise

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

EXPERT OPINION — South Korea’s Korea Institute for Defense Analysis recently publicly stated that we underestimated North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. According to their analysis, North Korea has between 127 and 150 [...] More

Second Strike, No Survivors: The Legal and Political Questions Around Trump’s Narco-Boat Killings

Walter Pincus

OPINION — “As we’ve said from the beginning, and in every statement, these highly effective strikes are specifically intended to be ‘lethal, kinetic strikes.’ The declared intent is to stop lethal drugs, destroy [...] More

News & Analysis

‘Mind-Blowing’ Pentagon Overhaul Will Reshape Acquisition

‘Mind-Blowing’ Pentagon Overhaul Will Reshape Acquisition

FEATURED INTERVIEW — As the Pentagon undertakes its most ambitious overhaul yet of how it acquires new warfighting capabilities, Silicon Valley [...] More

Opinion

The Delhi Blast and Pakistan’s Proxy War: Why Another Clash Looks Likely

OPINION — South Asia has once again returned to the global spotlight after a suicide bombing struck the heart of India’s capital on November 10. The [...] More

What’s on The Cipher Brief’s Digital Channel

Book Reviews

YEAH WE THOUGHT IT WAS PHOTO SHOPPED TOO: But no, it was real. At today’s White House cabinet meeting, photos of the placard in front of Pete Hegseth identified him as “SSECRETARY of War” with two S’s. If you are a graphics designer and looking for work – there may be an opening at the White House.SPEAKING OF JOB OFFERS: If you are a soldier or a civilian employee of the Army and get any job offers or invitations to participate in academic research projects, you're now required to report that to Army counterintelligence special agents. Why? Because of the uptick in the number of bad guys who are trying to collect [...] More

Get The Drop

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


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.