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

Killing Mencho

Did the U.S. Supercharge the Hunt for Mexico’s Kingpin of Kingpins?

The National Guard In Mexico Conducts An Operation Following The Death Of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, "El Mencho," Leader Of The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, At The Hands Of Federal Forces

CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING — Exactly who tracked El Mencho, the world’s most wanted and feared drug lord, to a heavily armed safe house in a remote [...] More

AmericasNorth America
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The Open Source Report

TOPSHOT-CUBA-US-CRISIS

Global Intelligence Report for Thursday, February 26, 2026

U.S. launches probe after Cuba claims it killed 4, wounded 6 from Florida-based speedboat

Hungary deploys troops to protect energy infrastructure amid pipeline dispute with Ukraine

Trump advisers discuss Israeli strike first to build support for possible U.S. attack on Iran

Intelligence capabilities on display as Chinese firm monitors U.S. military near Iran


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Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

What the Latest Policy and Tech Shifts Mean for National Security

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

AmericasJoey GagnardNorth AmericaUnited States

Where crime and terror meet: Australia’s illicit tobacco market

Rohan Gunaratna
Loren Kwok

OPINION – The unearthing of IRGC’s involvement in Australia’s firebombing incidents in 2025 has subsequently brought into question - the extent by which overseas terrorist groups and Australian domestic organized crime [...] More

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News & Analysis

Tracing the Evolution of Russian Hybrid Warfare

Tracing the Evolution of Russian Hybrid Warfare

KREMLIN FILES/ANALYSIS: Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 did not emerge from a strategic vacuum. It was the culmination of [...] More

EuropeUkraine

Opinion

Revisionist History – Aliens, Secrets and Conspiracies

Steve Blank

Revisionist History – Aliens, Secrets and Conspiracies

OPINION – Over a decade ago, I was a public official and was at one of our commission meetings on the coast of California. A fellow commissioner and [...] More

Alternative Perspectives

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Book Reviews

A Narrow Lens on China's Red Revolution
A Narrow Lens on China's Red Revolution

The Struggles for a Two-State Solution – An Israeli Perspective
The Struggles for a Two-State Solution – An Israeli Perspective

The Gray Man’s Back—And the Body Count’s Rising
The Gray Man’s Back—And the Body Count’s Rising

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The Best National Security Gossip

THE FASCINATING BUNKER MENTALITY: We learned from The Guardian that there has been an explosion of apocalypse survival bunkers built by billionaires. The paper reports that Sam Altman, Mark Zuckerberg and Peter Thiel are all proud owners of doomsday digs. Elon Musk allegedly calls his "apocalypse resort." As you can imagine, when tech billionaires start hedging against civilizational collapse, the entertainment industry takes note. As a result, Hollywood has been delivering a wave of "bunker-buster" dramas: shows like Paradise (Disney+), Silo (Apple TV+), and Fallout (Prime Video) are among today’s streaming shows, [...] More

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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

Sir Richard Moore gets serious with the State Secrets podcast about the impact that intelligence alliances will have on future security, shares what he knows about China and Russia, lays out the ways in which AI and other technologies will impact the intelligence mission and oh yeah, aliens. We actually asked him about that. Find out what he had to say in this episode of the State Secrets podcast - recorded just as he prepares to accept this year’s Cipher Brief HONORS Award for Impact in Alliance.

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.