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

The U.S. Says it Will “Run” Venezuela. What Will That Mean?

Experts warn of the perils of a long and difficult nation-building project

The U.S. Says it Will “Run” Venezuela. What Will That Mean?

DEEP DIVE – As audacious and complex as it was for the U.S. to extract Nicolas Maduro from Venezuela – and to do so without a single U.S. casualty – [...] More

AmericasLatin America
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The Open Source Report

​This combination of pictures created on January 6, 2026 shows Greenland's Head of Government Jens-Frederik Nielsen (L, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, on October 8, 2025), and US President Donald Trump (at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 3, 2026)

Global Intelligence Report for Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Trump Announces Venezuela to Supply 30–50 Million Barrels of Oil to U.S. After Maduro Raid

US backs security guarantees for Ukraine at summit of Kyiv's allies in Paris

Rubio Tells Lawmakers Trump Wants to Buy Greenland

Saudi Coalition Strikes Yemen After STC Leader Reportedly Flees Ahead of Talks

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Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

I've Tracked Terrorist Networks for Decades. I've Never Seen Anything Like 764.

Dexter Ingram

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — In 2021, a fifteen-year-old in a small Texas town started something from his bedroom. He’d dropped out of school. He spent his days online, deep into violence and gore. He found others like him and [...] More

Terrorism

High Risk in Venezuela—To What End?

Walter Pincus

OPINION — “I knew the possible danger. It was a very dangerous operation. It was amazing that we had a few injured, but all are in good shape right now, but I knew there was great danger. You got off a helicopter. The [...] More

AmericasLatin AmericaWalter PincusFine Print
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News & Analysis

Venezuela’s Key Takeaways for the World

Venezuela’s Key Takeaways for the World

CIPHER BRIEF EXPERT INTERVIEW – While the U.S. operation to detain Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro took just hours to execute, a full assessment [...] More

AmericasBrad ChristianLatin America

Opinion

Building U.S. Drone Dominance Brick by Brick

Phil Waymon, Master Sergeant (Ret.)

Building U.S. Drone Dominance Brick by Brick

OPINION — One of the things I loved about LEGO as a child was the ability to mix and match an endless amount of parts to create unique builds. [...] More

Alternative PerspectivesTech/Cybermilitary

What’s on The Cipher Brief’s Digital Channel

Tapping a China Vibe in South Koreaplay icon

Tapping a China Vibe in South Korea

The Open Source Report

Book Reviews

Cold War, Hot Zone: Inside the New Arctic Rivalry
Cold War, Hot Zone: Inside the New Arctic Rivalry

The Global Shadow War Behind the Cold War
The Global Shadow War Behind the Cold War

When Symphony Met Starvation: The Untold Stories of Leningrad's Siege
When Symphony Met Starvation: The Untold Stories of Leningrad's Siege

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The Best National Security Gossip

THE END OF AMES: Many of our friends in the national security community are buzzing on the news that Aldrich Ames, who sources describe as the worst traitor in CIA history, has died in prison at the age of 84. Want to know more about what caused Ames to spend the last third of a century in custody? Look no further than the story on the front page of today’s Washington Post written by The Cipher Brief’s Senior National Security Columnist Walter Pincus - who worked for the Washington Post for about 40 years. During that time – Pincus extensively covered Ames and was part of a team that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2002 and the [...] More

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Events

Live Events

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

Cipher Brief CEO & Publisher Suzanne Kelly sits down with Executive Producer Sebastian Junger to talk about the Netflix documentary ‘Marines’ and whether today’s fighting force is the one we need in today’s threat environment.

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.