Closing the Gap in US Cruise Missile Defenses
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE – Following recent Russian airstrikes on Kyiv, Germany sent the first of four planned IRIS-T SLM air defense systems to Ukraine. France, the […] More
Security/Stability
As Xi Consolidates Power, Nationalism Gains Ground
EXPERT Q&A Read also Is a US-China Face-off Over Taiwan Looming for Subscriber+Members The Cipher Brief: At the 20th CCP Congress, what stood out amid the […] More
Tracking U.S. Engagement in Undeclared Warfare
Walter Pincus is a contributing senior national security columnist for The Cipher Brief. He spent forty years at The Washington Post, writing on topics from […] More
Where Are Six Years of War in Yemen Going?
EXPERT ANALYSIS — At a time when western officials are focusing their attention toward national security threats posed by China, the war in Yemen is […] More
The Latest
President Biden’s Middle East: A Briefing with Norman Roule
President Joe Biden’s administration is aiming its Middle East agenda on adhering to campaign promises, examining current policies and undoing some that were enacted under […] More
General James Mattis and the Changing Nature of War
Walter Pincus is a contributing senior national security columnist for The Cipher Brief. He spent forty years at The Washington Post, writing on topics from […] More
America’s Allies Shocked by Storming of the Capitol
The Cipher Brief asked our experts to weigh in on how they saw Wednesday’s storming of the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump protesters and how allies […] More
Biden’s National Security Test
Cipher Brief Expert John McLaughlin is former Acting Director of the CIA, former Deputy CIA Director and is the Distinguished Practitioner in Residence at the […] More
Washington’s Cyber Reckoning
As Washington continues to investigate the true depth of what experts are describing as one of the most damaging cyberattacks in U.S. history, both government […] More
A New US Approach to the Muslim World
OPINION — Engaging Muslim communities globally emerged as a policy option within the U.S. government shortly after the heinous 9/11 terrorist attacks. Beyond degrading terrorist […] More
What a Biden Administration Means for the World
The Cipher Brief is a non-political media outlet focused on publishing expert perspectives on national security issues. We are committed to presenting multiple opinions to […] More
How Will a Biden Administration Engage the Middle East?
The Cipher Brief is a non-political media outlet focused on publishing expert perspectives on national security issues. We are committed to presenting multiple opinions to […] More
Trump’s Pre-Election Search for a National Security Win
OPINION — President Trump and his team are trying to come up with at least one last minute foreign policy success before Election Day, just […] More
Why the U.S. – Taliban peace deal has already failed
The Cipher Brief’s Academic Incubator program partners with colleges and Universities across the country to highlight the next generation of national security leaders. Ameen Karim […] More
Putin’s Playbook for the West
The Cipher Brief continues it’s coverage on Russia this week in light of the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. We tapped Cipher Brief Expert […] More
Poison, Protest & Putin’s Power
OPINION — Taken together, the protests underway in Belarus and the poisoning of Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny — by what German doctors now say was […] More
Is Russia getting away with Murder?
(The Cipher Brief 2020 Threat Conference will host an interactive session on this topic during The Cipher Brief Threat Conference September 13-15. Find details in […] More
Global Knowledge Warfare: Using Strategic Imagination to Harness Uncertainty and Fear
Eric Shiraev, Political Psychologist, George Mason University Access all of The Cipher Brief’s national security-focused expert insight by becoming a Cipher Brief Subscriber+ Member. Sign […] More
The Lucrative Border Wall Business
OPINION — Last Thursday, President Trump was asked by reporters about the arrest earlier that day of his former campaign manager and early White House […] More