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

Exactly how could AI kill humans?

As AI systems grow more autonomous, experts warn the real danger may not be malicious machines—but systems moving faster than humans can control them.

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Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton walked out of a closed-door Capitol Hill briefing on September 17 and gave lawmakers a deadline.“Maybe a year, but not [...] More

National Security

Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

Opinion

The Future of Iran Lies Beyond the Regime

Mark Fowler

The U.S. administration is pursuing its latest strategy: a naval blockade combined with aggressive “Outcast” sanctions, aiming to strangle the Iranian economy, force the regime to its knees, and compel it to return to [...] More

Opinion

How War Starts: A Warning from the Korean DMZ

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

The current landmine incident in the Demilitarized Zone of the Korean Peninsula could escalate into conflict on the Korean Peninsula.South Korea and the United Nations Command said North Korea violated the Korean War [...] More

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani
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News & Analysis

Moscow Kremlin - stock photo

How America Appeased Putin

Excerpt from Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East and WestWhen Spies was first published in 2023, it made front-page news with the chilling [...] More

Russia Calder Walton Europe

Opinion

How America Wins the AI Race With Open Source

Kenneth Egan

How America Wins the AI Race With Open Source

Speaking in Shanghai on July 17, Xi Jinping offered the world a vision of AI “for the positive, for good and for humanity.” He called for open [...] More

Alternative Perspectives

What’s on The Cipher Brief’s Digital Channel

Book Reviews

In This Spy Novel, An Ai Breach Sets Off A Globe-Trotting CIA Manhunt
In This Spy Novel, An Ai Breach Sets Off A Globe-Trotting CIA Manhunt

Walking In The Garden Amidst The Flames
Walking In The Garden Amidst The Flames

Recruited By Wild Bill, Feared By The Reich
Recruited By Wild Bill, Feared By The Reich

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The Best National Security Gossip

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR BEIJING? When we told you a few weeks ago about the F-35 parts that took a wrong turn to Hong Kong, nobody could say how it happened. Now someone briefed on the incident tells Bloomberg that the freight forwarder handling the shipment for Lockheed Martin emailed UPS a warning that the cockpit canopy and weapons-bay door could not transit certain countries under ITAR, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations that were designed to keep U.S. weapons technology away from adversaries. But OOPS, a UPS agent apparently missed that message, possibly because it arrived through a different IT system. UPS [...] 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

A 10th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION of the State Secrets Podcast with Suzanne Kelly and Brad Christian as they share the behind-the-scenes stories from the past decade as The Cipher Brief prepares to host the Cipher Brief Threat Conference. From a world where terrorism was front and center and AI was still a curiosity, to today’s world, where China remains the pacing threat, and is buoyed by rapidly emerging technology and a new alignment with Russia, Iran and North Korea.