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

Russia’s Foreign Fighter Pipeline: How Moscow Exploits Global Poverty to Feed Ukraine’s Frontlines

Russia is filling battlefield gaps with coerced migrants and foreign recruits, exporting long-term security risks to some of the world’s most fragile regions.

Russia’s Foreign Fighter Pipeline: How Moscow Exploits Global Poverty to Feed Ukraine’s Frontlines

DEEP DIVE — Moscow has spent nearly four years burning through human resources in Ukraine, and now they’ve found a new way to fill the gaps of loss: [...] More

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The Open Source Report

<span>Global Intelligence Report for Wednesday, February 11, 2026</span>

Global Intelligence Report for Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Trump's spy chief Gabbard winds down intelligence task force

Norway’s defence chief says Russia could invade to protect nuclear assets

Trump considers second carrier for Iran as tensions rise over nuclear talks

Blackwater Founder sent private security force to help Congo’s army, in coordination with Israeli advisers


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Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

After New START: America Weighs a New Nuclear Strategy

Walter Pincus

OPINION — “Militarily, the expiration [last Thursday] of New START [2010 Treaty with Russia] enables the United States to take parallel steps. We will complete our ongoing nuclear modernization programs that were [...] More

Walter PincusFine Print

Xi Jinping Tightens Grip as China’s Military Purge Deepens

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

OPINION — In China, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) “commands the gun”, and Chinese President Xi Jinping controls the one million members of the CCP. In October 2022, Mr. Xi was elected to an unprecedented third term as [...] More

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News & Analysis

The Former Head of NSA on the Future of U.S. Cybersecurity

The Former Head of NSA on the Future of U.S. Cybersecurity

EXPERT INTERVIEW -- General Paul Nakasone (ret.) has spent a career at the very center of America's most invisible battlefields. He has served as [...] More

national security

Opinion

EU Takes Aim at Tehran: IRGC Terror Listing Opens New Front in Europe’s Iran Policy

Michael Jacobson

EU Takes Aim at Tehran: IRGC Terror Listing Opens New Front in Europe’s Iran Policy

OPINION — On January 29, Europe found its voice against Iran’s apparatus of terror. The European Union (EU) announced that it is adding Iran’s [...] More

Middle EastEuropeAlternative Perspectives

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Tapping a China Vibe in South Koreaplay icon

Tapping a China Vibe in South Korea

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Book Reviews

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

Putin’s Long Shadow Over Post-Soviet Russia
Putin’s Long Shadow Over Post-Soviet Russia

The Architects of CIA Analysis
The Architects of CIA Analysis

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The Best National Security Gossip

TIMING IS EVERYTHING: The Economic Times of India reports that security researchers have uncovered a sophisticated cyber espionage campaign that breached over 70 government entities across 37 countries, with attackers displaying timing that would make any Hollywood heist crew jealous. The hackers, believed to be aligned with Beijing - didn't just break in - they choreographed their intrusions like a ballet. The targets: rare earth mineral ministries, critical infrastructure agencies, and government networks handling sensitive economic data. One South American nation was compromised the day after the U.S. captured [...] 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

The former head of one of the government’s most secret agencies, the National Security Agency, and the former Commander of U.S. Cyber Command, General Paul Nakasone (ret.) sits down with State Secrets to talk about the things he wishes every American knew when it comes to today’s cyber threats.

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.