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

We've Seen Autonomous Warfare and We're in Trouble

An argument for why America must rethink everything to remain competitive

We've Seen Autonomous Warfare and We're in Trouble

Editor’s note- Russia's war in Ukraine has fundamentally changed the character of warfare, proving that autonomous and attritable drones are no [...] More

Tech/Cyber Xen
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The Open Source Report

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Today's Global Intel

Gulf States Pressed Trump to Hold Off on Iran Strikes and Pursue Talks

Scope of Hacks on U.S. Water Supply Widens as Evidence Points to Iran

Ukrainian drones kill eight in Russia and strike Wildberries warehouse, governors say

EU force boards Russian shadow fleet tanker in Mediterranean Sea


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Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

Opinion

The New Fault Line: Israel and Turkey on a Collision Course

Joey Gagnard
Nils Alstad

On March 25, 2025, Israeli aircraft struck a set of Syrian airfields. The targets were not Syrian assets, instead they were the sites Turkey had surveyed for planned forward military bases. Ankara quietly shelved the [...] More

Joey Gagnard
Opinion

Iran Is “Counting Coup” On The United States!

Mark Fowler

The Iranian leadership appears to be intent on demonstrating its defiance and courage in the face of American force while also humiliating the “most powerful man in the world.”“Counting Coup, or striking an enemy, was the [...] More

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News & Analysis

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

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

Opinion

AI Summaries Are Susceptible to Manipulation — and That's Both a Business and a National Security Problem

Candice Bryant

AI Summaries Are Susceptible to Manipulation — and That's Both a Business and a National Security Problem

More and more people are using AI like a search engine – 42 percent of U.S. adults now use AI chatbots to search for information – and that shift is [...] More

Alternative Perspectives

What’s on The Cipher Brief’s Digital Channel

Book Reviews

A Symptom and Instrument of Foreign Power
A Symptom and Instrument of Foreign Power

When Doomsday Prose Overplays Its Hand
When Doomsday Prose Overplays Its Hand

Five Moles, One DOJ Lawyer
Five Moles, One DOJ Lawyer

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The Best National Security Gossip

BEIJING PICKS THE JERSEY SHORE OF AUTHORITARIANISM OVER THE FRENCH RIVIERA: While the world's billionaires are off in Saint-Tropez comparing yacht sizes, China's Communist Party leadership continues its seven-decade tradition of quietly relocating to Beidaihe, a modest seaside town 186 miles from Beijing every summer. According to CNN, the annual retreat, which dates to Mao's air-conditioning-free 1953, is heavy on secrecy and light on hot air balloons — both banned, along with drones and private boat charters, as security tightens each July. Nobody announces the leaders' arrival; they simply vanish from state media [...] 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

Recorded on location in Kyiv, Rear Admiral (Ret.) Mark Montgomery joins Suzanne Kelly for a timely State Secrets conversation on how Ukraine is reshaping the future of warfare.

Editor's Note: We caught up with Rear Admiral (Ret.) Mark Montgomery in Kyiv just as President Zelensky announced the firing of former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, prompting a wave of protests. Since this interview was recorded, additional developments - including changes in Ukraine's military leadership - have overtaken parts of that discussion. The strategic insights on Ukraine's battlefield innovation, however, remain as relevant as ever.

From Ukraine's increasingly effective long-range drone campaign against Russia's military infrastructure to the growing strain on Kyiv's air defenses, Montgomery explains why this war is becoming the world's most important laboratory for military innovation. He also shares firsthand observations from his latest trip to Ukraine - including conversations with commanders on the front lines - and discusses what the U.S., NATO, and Taiwan should be learning before the next major conflict.