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

New Reports Reveal Years of Unaddressed Osprey Safety Risks

New Reports Reveal Years of Unaddressed Osprey Safety Risks

DEEP DIVE — It is one of the most lauded defense developments in recent decades, providing preeminent capability to U.S. military personnel [...] More

Americas
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The Open Source Report

<span>Global Intelligence Report for Tuesday, January 20, 2026</span>

Global Intelligence Report for Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Trump says he will '100%' follow through on tariff threat, seems to downplay Nobel Prize rhetoric

Russia strikes Kyiv with drones and missiles, cutting power, water supplies

Analysts warn that Iran crisis carries potential nuclear risks

China signs record US$213 billion of new ‘belt and road’ deals in 2025


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Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

What U.S. – China Cooperation Means for the World

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

OPINION -- China was very critical of the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last week. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the U.S. action was “blatant interference” in Venezuela and a [...] More

ChinaAmbassador Joseph DeTraniAsia

Remembering Aldrich Ames and the Lives He Destroyed

Mark Kelton

“I would never wish death upon anyone, but I have read some obituaries with great satisfaction.” - Winston ChurchillOPINION -- I associate myself with at least the latter part of that quote from Winston Churchill with [...] More

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News & Analysis

The Country’s First ‘Cognitive Advantage’ Chief: Influence Is the New Battlefield

The Country’s First ‘Cognitive Advantage’ Chief: Influence Is the New Battlefield

WEEKEND INTERVIEW — In an era when foreign adversaries can shape public sentiment with a well-timed meme and a handful of AI-driven accounts, the [...] More

Tech/Cyber

Opinion

The Coast Guard's Mission in the Gray Zone

Harrison Kass

The Coast Guard's Mission in the Gray Zone

OPINION — U.S. defense planning rests on the assumption that wars are fought abroad, by expeditionary forces, against defined adversaries. For [...] More

Alternative 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

The Burden of the Bomb
The Burden of the Bomb

The Mossad’s Most Transformational Leader
The Mossad’s Most Transformational Leader

Can Iran Ever Become a “Normal Adversary”?
Can Iran Ever Become a “Normal Adversary”?

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The Best National Security Gossip

‘MOSCOW, WE HAVE A CYPRUS PROBLEM’: The Guardian reports that Alexei Panov, 41, assigned to Moscow’s embassy in Cyprus - was “found dead after an apparent suicide” on January 8th and the paper is now reporting that Panov was a GRU intelligence officer, adding a whole new layer of intrigue with some sources speculating that Panov may have wanted to defect. Local authorities were denied access to the building where Panov allegedly hanged himself and were only allowed access to the body in an Embassy courtyard hours after the death was reported. No suicide note was shared with local officials but one was said to have been [...] More

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Events

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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

From cyber vulnerabilities to supply chain risk, Cipher Brief Expert and former National Intelligence Manager for Counterintelligence Sandrea Hwang tells State Secrets Podcast host Suzanne Kelly why modern national security threats are no longer distant or abstract and why protecting data, infrastructure, and innovation now requires whole-of-society cooperation.

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.