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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

United StatesAmericasNorth America
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The Open Source Report

Iranian Armed Forces: US attempt to rescue its pilot failed

Global Intelligence Report for Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Downed U.S. airman said to have directed strikes on Iranian positions from hiding place

Iran rejects U.S. ceasefire proposal, demands permanent peace in 10-point response

Ukraine accuses Russia of supplying Iran with cyber support, spy imagery to hone attacks

Vance visiting Hungary to support Orbán as critical election looms

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Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

A Wartime Budget Without an Innovation Strategy

Walter Pincus

OPINION — “The use cases that help to drive the research agenda can come from a variety of different settings…We need to acknowledge that it's okay for those use cases to come from the Department of War (DoW) and [...] More

Walter PincusFine Print

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

Itai ShapiraMiddle EastIsrael
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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

Sami Omari

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

Thus Spoke Henry Kissinger
Thus Spoke Henry Kissinger

A New Focus on the Psychology of Betrayal
A New Focus on the Psychology of Betrayal

Before Midnight Hammer There Was Doom 34
Before Midnight Hammer There Was Doom 34

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The Best National Security Gossip

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.