The Cipher Brief

DNI Day Two: Building the Intelligence Community for 2045

A new DNI should refocus ODNI on enterprise leadership, modernize intelligence investment, and close the seams adversaries exploit across the national security landscape.

Author's NoteIn our first paper, DNI Day One: Three Strategic Decisions for National Security Evolution, we identified three challenges confronting [...] More

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Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

The War Before the War Has Already Begun

The War Before the War Has Already Begun

There are 65 active state-based conflicts in the world today, according to the Uppsala Conflict Data Program. That is not 65 separate crises. It is [...] More

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EVEN UKRAINIAN BIRDS ARE INNOVATING - Bird nests in Ukraine are now being made of a surprising new material: not straw, not twigs, and not grass, but fiber optic cables. The 1,200 km long front line between Russia and Ukraine has been covered in fiber optic cables, which drones from both sides now use for navigation and to prevent electronic jamming. The cables, which are up to 20 km long, remain draped over trees, buildings, and infrastructure long after they have fulfilled their purpose. Because the frontline is far too dangerous for humans to clean up these cables, birds have taken advantage of the abundance of this [...] More

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How will wars be fought in the next decade—and is the United States prepared?

In this exclusive conversation, The Cipher Brief CEO Suzanne Kelly sits down with General David Petraeus to examine the sweeping transformation reshaping modern warfare. Drawing on his repeated visits to Ukraine alongside The Cipher Brief, General Petraeus argues that the battlefield has changed more dramatically in the last three years than at any point in modern military history.

From artificial intelligence and autonomous systems to drone swarms and machine-speed decision making, Petraeus explains why the war in Ukraine has become the world's most important laboratory for military innovation—and why the United States and its allies must move far more quickly to adapt.

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