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

How Ukraine’s Ground Robots Are Changing the Battlefield

Ukraine’s Operation Vivaldi offers a glimpse of a battlefield where unmanned ground vehicles penetrate enemy lines, disrupt defenses and clear the way for infantry.

The 214th Separate Assault Battalion OPFOR Training Held In Ukraine

Operation Vivaldi, a Ukrainian military effort to repel Russian forces in the Donbas, has done much more than push back Moscow’s offensive in the [...] More

David Kirichenko Xen Europe Ukraine
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The Open Source Report

Ukrainian drone units are on duty at the front lines in Donetsk Region DONETSK REGION, UKRAINE - OCTOBER 8: A Ukrainian soldier carries a drone to attack enemy drones in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, 8 October 2026 (Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Global Intelligence Report for Friday, October 16, 2026

Order to curb Starshield for Ukrainian military reportedly came from inside White House

Houthis attack presidential palace complex in Yemen's Aden, killing five

Russia using army of bots to push fake U.S. election videos

G7 economies plan simulated AI attacks on banks as cyber fears rise

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Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

Opinion

The Soviet Roots of Russia’s Modern Disinformation War

Mark Kelton

Anti-Semitism, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. pronounced while repudiating an anti-Israel resolution adopted at the 1967 National Conference for New Politics, is “immoral.” Accordingly, the civil rights leader would [...] More

Opinion

Europe’s Changing Politics and the Future of U.S. Leadership

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

“And now, there is war again. There is new competition between great powers. There is vulnerability, aggression, terrorism, a whole universe of new threats and attacks again. And so, we must rebuild our institutions and [...] More

Europe Ambassador Joseph DeTrani
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News & Analysis

US-UNITED NATIONS-AI

Exactly how could AI kill humans?

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

Opinion

Washington Cannot Outsource Saudi Security to the Mecca Pact

Siddhant Kishore

Washington Cannot Outsource Saudi Security to the Mecca Pact

The Houthis have significantly escalated their airstrike campaign targeting civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, with two consecutive attacks at [...] More

Alternative Perspectives

What’s on The Cipher Brief’s Digital Channel

Book Reviews

Mercy At Altitude
Mercy At Altitude

Why Shipbuilding Matters In A Melting North
Why Shipbuilding Matters In A Melting North

The Striking Paradox Of Admiral Yamamoto
The Striking Paradox Of Admiral Yamamoto

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The Best National Security Gossip

UPLINK DOWN IN FLAMES: Two Turkish nationals have been detained in Germany over an alleged arson attack on a Starlink ground station in Poland. AP reports that Polish officials think Russian intelligence was behind the September 23 fire at Wola Krobowska, about 25 miles south of Warsaw. The station is run by the Polish state telecom Exatel and helps route satellite internet to Ukraine. An organization called Notes from Poland reports the two were picked up Monday in Nürtingen, near Stuttgart, at Warsaw’s request. “We have no doubt that Russian intelligence services are behind this act of sabotage,” said Tomasz Siemoniak, [...] 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.