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

Inside the High-Stakes U.S. Pressure Campaign on Iran

As the USS Gerald R. Ford joins the Abraham Lincoln, a former top U.S. intel official explains what Washington wants, and how Tehran’s response could trigger a new war

Inside the High-Stakes U.S. Pressure Campaign on Iran

EXPERT INTERVIEW – U.S. officials say a second aircraft carrier will be deployed to the Middle East amid the administration’s efforts to pressure [...] More

Middle EastIran
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The Open Source Report

<span>Global Intelligence Report for Friday, February 13, 2026</span>

Global Intelligence Report for Friday, February 13, 2026

The laser weapon deployed to target suspected drones in El Paso struck party balloons instead

U.S. aircraft carrier to be deployed to Middle East from Venezuela

CIA launches video campaign targeting Chinese military amid leadership purge

Trump pauses China tech bans ahead of Xi summit


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Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

Confidence, Interoperability, and the Limits of U.S. Decision Systems

Masoud Andarabi

OPINION — In recent months, U.S. policy debates have increasingly acknowledged that the decisive contests of the 21st century will not be fought primarily on conventional battlefields. They will be fought in the cognitive [...] More

A Path to Understanding Autonomy in Defense Technology

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 policy wonks analyzing its impact on the [...] More

Joey GagnardInternational
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News & Analysis

Russia’s Promises of Security Lead to Ukraine's Frontlines

Russia’s Promises of Security Lead to 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

RussiaEurope

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

EL PASO’S AIRSPACE GONE BALLOON-BUSTIN’: On Wednesday, the skies over El Paso were briefly clouded by a federal turf war when the FAA suddenly declared a 10-day shutdown of airspace around El Paso International Airport - only to lift it just hours later. The move created some understandable bewilderment about who was actually in charge (FAA, DHS/CBP, or DOD). And sources seem to think that the shutdown, ostensibly tied to Mexican cartel drone incursions, may have actually sprouted from inter-agency confusion over anti-drone tech testing. You see, the Pentagon had loaned a high-energy laser to Customs and Border [...] More

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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.