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

How Far Should the U.S. Go to Defend Saudi Arabia?

Former senior CIA official Norm Roule examines how Washington can strengthen Saudi Arabia’s defenses against Houthi attacks without risking another open-ended conflict

SAUDI-YEMEN-US-ISRAEL-IRAN-WAR

Recent deadly attacks by Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthis inside of Saudi Arabia have raised questions about just how far the U.S. should go in helping [...] More

Middle East Expert View

Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

Opinion

The U.S. Army’s Pacific Strategy Depends on Allies

Walter Pincus

“We never fight alone. We've never done that. You can go all the way back to the days of Revolutionary War. The United States has never gone into conflict on its own. We've always built coalitions. We've always involved [...] More

Walter Pincus Fine Print
Opinion

Muhammad bin Salman’s Humbling and the Return of the Ottomans

Andy Dunn

The Houthis bloodied Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman’s nose—again—with their deadly, cruel, but effective attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport last week. The strikes are the latest in a series of [...] More

Andy Dunn
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News & Analysis

The 214th Separate Assault Battalion OPFOR Training Held In Ukraine

How Ukraine’s Ground Robots Are Changing the Battlefield

Operation Vivaldi, a Ukrainian military effort to repel Russian forces in the Donbas, has done much more than push back Moscow’s offensive in the [...] More

David Kirichenko Xen Europe Ukraine

Opinion

America's Counter-Drone Authority Is Real, The Capacity Isn't Yet

Todd Lyons

America's Counter-Drone Authority Is Real, The Capacity Isn't Yet

Here is a number worth sitting with: federal teams seized roughly 700 drones around World Cup venues this summer. Seven hundred — at one tournament, [...] More

Alternative Perspectives

What’s on The Cipher Brief’s Digital Channel

Book Reviews

Can A 19Th-Century Idea Fix 21St-Century Disorder?
Can A 19Th-Century Idea Fix 21St-Century Disorder?

Mercy At Altitude
Mercy At Altitude

Why Shipbuilding Matters In A Melting North
Why Shipbuilding Matters In A Melting North

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The Best National Security Gossip

PUTIN THE HUMANITARIAN: Russian President Vladimir Putin has released a 74-year-old American who some believe was wrongfully imprisoned in Russia for more than four years. According to Reuters and The Guardian, Stephen Hubbard, a retired Michigan schoolteacher, was arrested in Ukraine in April 2022. Russian authorities accused him of fighting for Ukraine as a mercenary and sentenced him to nearly seven years in prison during a closed-door trial. Hubbard’s U.S. lawyer and his sister disputed the allegations. Putin announced Hubbard’s release during a meeting with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg this week, [...] 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

A 10th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION of the State Secrets Podcast with Suzanne Kelly and Brad Christian as they share the behind-the-scenes stories from the past decade as The Cipher Brief prepares to host the Cipher Brief Threat Conference. From a world where terrorism was front and center and AI was still a curiosity, to today’s world, where China remains the pacing threat, and is buoyed by rapidly emerging technology and a new alignment with Russia, Iran and North Korea.