DEEP DIVE – President Xi Jinping’s latest purge of generals has eviscerated China’s military leadership, drawn comparisons to crackdowns carried out [...] More

28 January, 2026

Tom Nagorski

28 January, 2026

Ryan Simons

China Asia

The Open Source Report

Two men sitting in chairs, with UAE flags and framed art on the wall behind them.

Global Intelligence Report for Monday, February 2, 2026

UAE’s ‘Spy Sheikh’ bought secret stake in Trump company

Ukraine talks set for next week as cold strains battered energy grid

Top U.S., Israeli generals meet at Pentagon amid soaring Iran tensions

Pakistan forces kill 145 militants in two-day battle after wave of attacks across Balochistan

Access Today’s Report

Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

The Rise of China's Strategic Soft Power and its Global Impact

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE – The United States is currently mired in a cycle of aggressive trade renegotiations and a transactional foreign policy that has alienated its most critical allies. By perceiving partners as free riders [...] More

02 February, 2026

Joey Gagnard

02 February, 2026

Nils Alstad

02 February, 2026

Ryan Simons

Joey Gagnard China Expert View Asia

The 2026 National Defense Strategy: No Surprises but Plenty of Mandate

OPINION — The 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) follows closely the 2025 National Security Strategy, as it should. It also falls in line with the Department of Defense’s narrative and the actions they have taken [...] More

28 January, 2026

Renee Pruneau Novakoff

28 January, 2026

Ryan Simons

Americas North America Renee Pruneau Novakoff United States

News & Analysis

Russia’s War Economy Lifeline: Inside the Sanctions Evasion Network

DEEP DIVE — Nearly three years into the most comprehensive sanctions regime ever imposed on a significant economy, Russia’s defense industrial base [...] More

27 January, 2026

Hollie McKay

27 January, 2026

Ryan Simons

Russia Europe

Two men in a serious conversation, one in a suit, the other in a military uniform.

The Kremlin Files: Russia’s Way to the Gray Zone

THE KREMLIN FILES / COLUMN — Russian hybrid warfare, often referred to in the West as “gray zone” conflict, has transitioned from theoretical concept [...] More

21 January, 2026

Sean Wiswesser

21 January, 2026

Ryan Simons

Europe Russia

New Reports Reveal Years of Unaddressed Osprey Safety Risks

DEEP DIVE — It is one of the most lauded defense developments in recent decades, providing preeminent capability to U.S. military personnel [...] More

19 January, 2026

Hollie McKay

19 January, 2026

Ryan Simons

Americas

The Country’s First ‘Cognitive Advantage’ Chief: Influence Is the New Battlefield

WEEKEND INTERVIEW — In an era when foreign adversaries can shape public sentiment with a well-timed meme and a handful of AI-driven accounts, the [...] More

16 January, 2026

Suzanne Kelly

16 January, 2026

Ryan Simons

Tech/Cyber

Opinion

America’s Intelligence Satellites are Proliferating: Their Protection is Not, With Exceptions

America’s Intelligence Satellites are Proliferating: Their Protection is Not, With Exceptions

OPINION — The pace of U.S. national-security launches over the past several months has been staggering. But buried beneath the impressive cadence is [...] More

30 January, 2026

Emmanouil M. Karatarakis

30 January, 2026

Ryan Simons

Americas North America United States Alternative Perspectives Emmanouil M. Karatarakis

Read Now

What’s on The Cipher Brief’s Digital Channel

Russia’s Bold Move in Poland is felt in Kyiv: An On the Ground Interview with Gen. David Petraeus

How Will the West Respond to Putin’s ‘Test’ in Poland?

Ground Truth from Ukraine’s Front Lines, with Former CIA Officer Ralph Goff

Interview with former Senior CIA Officer Ralph Goff

Tapping a China Vibe in South Korea

The Open Source Report

Book Reviews

A Field Guide to Surviving Trauma

Kilowatt of Wrath: Revenge and Assassinations via Secret Cooperation

From Shah to Supreme Leader: A Revolution Gone Wrong

The Best National Security Gossip

YOU’LL NEVER GUESS WHAT WE FOUND IN THE LATEST EPSTEIN DOCUMENT DUMP! Answer: The Cipher Brief. No, thankfully there are no invitations to island getaways or dinner parties with the former prince currently known as Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor. But for reasons we don’t entirely understand, the 3.5 million documents released on Friday include news summaries that had been produced for senior executives at places like the FBI or intelligence community inspector general offices. And if you search the archives, buried in some of those news summaries are snippets of Cipher Brief opinion pieces (totally unrelated to Epstein.) The [...] More

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Events

Live Events

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

Exclusive Virtual Events

NATO is Moving Closer to 'Gloves Off' in the Gray Zone

NATO Goes 'Gloves Off'

Subscriber+ Exclusive Virtual Event

Previous Event: 08 December, 2025

CIG 2025 Winter Summit

Previous Event: 10 December, 2025

CIG 2025 Fall Summit

Previous Event: 17 September, 2025

Signs of Trouble from Venezuela's Regime Could Be Subtle at First

27 January, 2026

Ambassador Patrick Duddy

27 January, 2026

Ryan Simons

Russia is Targeting Civilians in Ukraine

26 January, 2026

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

26 January, 2026

Ryan Simons

Inside Trump’s New ‘Board of Peace’

27 January, 2026

Walter Pincus

27 January, 2026

Ryan Simons

They're Coming for Our Kids: How Extremists Target Children Online

26 January, 2026

Dexter Ingram

26 January, 2026

Ryan Simons

The Next FATF Test: Can the West Demand Results from Pakistan?

26 January, 2026

Siddhant Kishore

26 January, 2026

Ryan Simons

Podcasts

State Secrets

From cyber vulnerabilities to supply chain risk, Cipher Brief Expert and former National Intelligence Manager for Counterintelligence Sandrea Hwang tells State Secrets Podcast host Suzanne Kelly why modern national security threats are no longer distant or abstract and why protecting data, infrastructure, and innovation now requires whole-of-society cooperation.

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.

What the Experts Say

The Cipher Brief’s Annual Threat Conference is a unique event where you can have deep and meaningful interactions with the top current and former leaders and thinkers from the intelligence communities of the United States and our allies. Held at the stunnning Sea Island resort, it is a must-go event for learning, debating, and interfacing with some of the world’s foremost national security thought-leaders.

Dimitri Alperovitch -- 2023 Threat Conference

Innovation requires us to be open and non-specific for as long as we possibly can to open up the aperture for the possibility of innovating.

The Hon. Susan M. Gordon - 2023 Threat Conference

There is no other location that brings together so many voices.

Norm Roule -- 2023 Threat Conference

You'll find those in leadership positions across government and industry, really wanting to sit down at the table and have hard conversations that you just don't have anywhere else.

Matt Hayden-- 2023 Threat Conference

“The Cipher Brief Threat Conference is the nation’s premier gathering of current and former intelligence and security experts. If you want to know what’s really going on—or hear some spirited debate about what’s about to happen—in our complex world, this is the place to be!"