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

Inside Zelensky’s “Mega-Drone Deal” with the U.S.

The proposed exchange of U.S. weapons for Ukrainian drone technology could reshape transatlantic defense ties and redefine what “military aid” means in the 21st century.

Inside Zelensky’s “Mega-Drone Deal” with the U.S.

DEEP DIVE – Often lost in the Trump administration's on-again, off-again offer to deliver Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine is the proposed deal that [...] More

Tech/CyberEuropeUkraine
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The Open Source Report

This combination of pictures created on May 14, 2020 shows recent portraits of China's President Xi Jinping (R) and US President Donald Trump..

Global Intelligence Report for Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Beyond Trade War, China’s Xi Looks to Press Trump on Taiwan

Trump says Putin should end the Ukraine war, not test missiles

Russia’s Lukoil to sell off foreign assets as U.S. sanctions bite

Israeli officials rebuke possibility of 'official UN force' monitoring Gaza ceasefire

Access Today’s Report

Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

Trump’s National Guard Plan Faces Legal Pushback and Constitutional Questions

Walter Pincus

OPINION — “I'm not going to answer particulars on something that may be in the planning process, but we definitely do have multiple layers of National Guard response forces, whether it's in each state, whether it's [...] More

AmericasWalter PincusFine Print

America’s Drug Crisis: Why the U.S. Must Fight Traffickers Abroad—and Addiction at Home

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

OPINION — It is the responsibility of the U.S. Government to ensure that illicit drugs do not enter the U.S. and to ensure that those countries and narcotraffickers involved in the illicit drug business are prevented from [...] More

AmericasAmbassador Joseph DeTraniLatin America
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News & Analysis

A drone flies in front of an Iranian flag in southern Tehran, Iran, on December 29, 2024.

Tehran’s Espionage Network in the U.S. Is Bigger and Bolder Than You Think

DEEP DIVE — Front companies, campus networks, diaspora recruits — Tehran’s espionage push on U.S. soil is bigger, bolder, and harder to track than [...] More

AmericasIranMiddle EastEspionage

Opinion

Winning the Innovation Race: Why America’s Allies Are the Key to Beating Beijing

Duyane Norman

Winning the Innovation Race: Why America’s Allies Are the Key to Beating Beijing

OPINION — Precision U.S. airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear program last June demonstrate American technological prowess built on decades of 20th [...] More

Tech/CyberAlternative Perspectives

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

Courage and Betrayal in the Heart of Hitler's Germany
Courage and Betrayal in the Heart of Hitler's Germany

The Nuclear Age: How the Quest for the Bomb Redefined Power — and Still Shapes Today’s Global Order
The Nuclear Age: How the Quest for the Bomb Redefined Power — and Still Shapes Today’s Global Order

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The Best National Security Gossip

UKRAINE’S BOLD DRONE ARMY: There were a lot of headlines out of last week’s Cipher Brief Threat Conference in Sea Island but one of the biggest headlines came from Ivan Pavlenko, Chief of Ukraine’s Electronic Warfare Directorate, who joined the conference live from Ukraine - telling former CIA Director General David Petraeus (Ret.) that Kyiv deploys around 9,000 drones a day to counter Russia. Yep, you read that right. 9,000. Bloomberg's Natalia Drozdiak notes that General Petraeus, who now serves as Chairman of KKR’s Global Institute, called that number “staggering” in comparison to the few hundred thousand drones [...] More

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Events

Live Events

Threat Conference

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

Previous Event: 19 October, 2025

Podcasts

State Secrets

Shawn Chenoweth has one of the most fascinating titles in government, Director of Cognitive Advantage at the National Security Council. Sean explains the concept of cognitive advantage, the challenges of measuring success, and talks about the 'Kill Web' concept, which highlights the interconnectedness of information and cognitive processes in modern warfare.

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.