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 Continued Myth of Russia’s Imminent Collapse: Lessons from Prigozhin’s Mutiny Three Years On

As speculation about Vladimir Putin’s downfall grows again, lessons of Prigozhin’s rebellion remain widely misunderstood.

TOPSHOT-RUSSIA-UKRAINE-CONFLICT-WAGNER

KREMLIN FILES/COLUMN: Three years ago, in June 2023, the Kremlin confronted one of the most dramatic internal crises of Vladimir Putin's [...] More

Open Source Report logo

The Open Source Report

TOPSHOT-UAE-IRAN-US-ISRAEL-WAR TOPSHOT - A ship sails off the coast of Ajman on July 10, 2026. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen sharply since July 8, especially through the UN-backed Omani route, analysts said, after vessels were attacked earlier this week and as the United States and Iran traded renewed strikes. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) /

Global Intelligence Report for Monday, July 13, 2026

Iran expands attacks on Gulf states amid U.S. strikes, says Strait of Hormuz closed

Russia sanctions legislation gets green light from White House, lawmakers say

Japan building new intelligence agency with help from the West

EU, UK target Russian cyber networks with new sanctions

Access Today’s Report

Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

Opinion

America’s Military Plans Depend on Infrastructure It Doesn’t Secure

Rear Adm. (Ret.) Mark Montgomery
General (Ret.) Mike Minihan

Military power is meaningless if it cannot move.Every American war plan, from deterring aggression in Europe to prevailing in the Indo-Pacific, depends on our ability to maneuver people, equipment, fuel, information and [...] More

Rear Adm. (Ret.) Mark Montgomery
Opinion

America’s Export Controls Are Becoming a Strategic Liability

Joey Gagnard

Welcome to The Iron Triangle, the Cipher Brief column serving Procurement Officers tasked with buying the future, Investors funding the next generation of defense technology, and the Policy Wonks analyzing its impact on [...] More

Joey Gagnard
View More ›

News & Analysis

U.S. Military Launches Operation Epic Fury Attacking Iran

Endless Warfare – Part II: Countering Endless Warfare and its Networks

Author’s Note: This article is not about ‘endless wars’ as a critique of U.S. military interventions — that debate belongs elsewhere. It examines a [...] More

United States Americas Dave Pitts North America

Opinion

Trump’s Dangerous Bet on Pakistan’s Army Chief

Siddhant Kishore

Trump’s Dangerous Bet on Pakistan’s Army Chief

In the dusty streets of Rawalakot in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir this June, security forces opened fire on demonstrators demanding basic rights and an [...] More

Alternative Perspectives

What’s on The Cipher Brief’s Digital Channel

Book Reviews

Silva's Ransom Pays Off
Silva's Ransom Pays Off

Cole's Digital Danger Is A Useful Guide For The Wrong Audience
Cole's Digital Danger Is A Useful Guide For The Wrong Audience

The Nord Stream Sabotage: Mystery Attacks Explained
The Nord Stream Sabotage: Mystery Attacks Explained

dead drop dead drop

The Best National Security Gossip

THE AGENCY THAT NEVER SLEEPS GETS A NOVEL THAT NEVER ENDS: A writer named William T. Vollmann is about to release "A Table for Fortune," a four-volume, 3000-plus-page series about a CIA analyst named Elliott Stevens who, for some reason, goes by the cover name “Dave.” The story flows from Vietnam through the War on Terror, as well as following the tales of Dave’s drug-addled, homeless son who is wandering America in search of meaning. A New York Times reviewer did the math: if you were to read Vollmann’s voluminous story at a page a minute, that's about 50 hours without breaks — or more than two straight days. When last [...] More

Get The Drop

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

The battlefield is changing faster than most governments can adapt.

In this episode of State Secrets, Cipher Brief CEO Suzanne Kelly sits down with retired General Phil Breedlove, former Supreme Allied Commander Europe, to examine how drones, artificial intelligence and autonomous systems are transforming modern warfare—and what that means for U.S. national security.

Drawing on lessons from Ukraine, the Middle East and NATO's eastern flank, General Breedlove explains why drones are only one piece of a much larger revolution in military power. He discusses why America must rethink defense acquisition, how adversaries are exploiting gray zone warfare, why protecting critical infrastructure is becoming increasingly difficult, and why the West can no longer afford to fight tomorrow's wars with yesterday's assumptions.

From the future of air superiority to cyber conflict, autonomous weapons and the growing threat to the homeland, this is a conversation about the wars of the future—and whether the United States is prepared for them.