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

Can the U.S. Win the Critical Minerals Competition?

The Trump administration has gone all-in to counter China’s minerals edge. Will it be enough?

Can the U.S. Win the Critical Minerals Competition?

What U.S. national security interest binds Greenland, Argentina, the Congo, and the Cook Islands? What was the impetus for the recent “strategic [...] More

Open Source Report logo

The Open Source Report

<span>Global Intelligence Report for Monday, April 6, 2026</span>

Global Intelligence Report for Monday, April 6, 2026

Inside the mission to recover a downed American airman in hostile territory

U.S. and Iran receive peace proposal as Trump vows 'hell' if Strait stays shut

Explosive found near Serbia-Hungary gas pipeline sparks tensions, as Kremlin blames Ukraine

China reserves offshore airspace for 40 days, sparking military and aviation speculation

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Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

A Declining Demand for Strategic Intelligence? U.S. and Israeli cases

Itai Shapira

OPINION — Strategic intelligence, usually perceived as intelligence supporting the formulation of strategy, has always had limited influence over national security decisions. Leaders in democratic countries, let alone in [...] More

While the U.S. Focuses on Iran, Russia and China See Strategic Gain

Dave Pitts

OPINION — Russia and China are certainly concerned about the desperate state of Iran’s regime, an invaluable transactional partner to both countries. Yet they are also working to secure more strategic gains at America’s [...] More

News & Analysis

The Chalk Mark Still Matters: Russian Espionage Handling in the Modern Era

The Chalk Mark Still Matters: Russian Espionage Handling in the Modern Era

KREMLIN FILES: A brush of a hand against a park bench with chalk; or, a piece of electrical tape left on a mailbox. Sometimes it’s a coded phrase [...] More

Opinion

Why a War in the Middle East Is Hitting Australians at the Petrol Pump

OPINION – Economic insulation is no longer guaranteed by geography. Australia is nevertheless very vulnerable to geopolitical unrest in the Middle [...] More

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Book Reviews

CLOUD COVER: Iran has been targeting American tech companies in the Gulf with drone and missile strikes since the war began. Oracle was on the list — the IRGC cited the company's cloud and AI contracts with the Pentagon and founder Larry Ellison's ties to the Israeli government as a reason for targeting them. When debris from an intercepted Iranian drone hit the facade of an Oracle building in Dubai Internet City, authorities confirmed they responded to a "minor incident" — no injuries reported. Amazon Web Services later confirmed that two of its data centers in the UAE were directly struck, and a third in Bahrain was [...] 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

Podcasts

State Secrets


In this episode of State Secrets, former CIA Senior Operations Officer Sean Wiswesser examines the evolution of Russian intelligence - from Soviet-era tradecraft to modern hybrid warfare. He unpacks Moscow’s strategic mindset, its transactional relationships with partners like Iran, and its enduring focus on weakening democratic systems. With insights drawn from decades in the field, Wiswesser explains what most people misunderstand about Russia - and why that matters now more than ever.