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

China’s Stunning Military Purge – and What It Means For Taiwan

Xi Jinping’s campaign against his top generals has “gutted” the PLA’s command structure

China’s Stunning Military Purge – and What It Means For Taiwan

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

ChinaAsia
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The Open Source Report

<span>Global Intelligence Report for Friday, January 30, 2026</span>

Global Intelligence Report for Friday, January 30, 2026

Spy chief Tulsi Gabbard is hunting for 2020 election fraud

Trump says Putin vowed to halt Ukraine strikes due to cold, Zelensky ready to reciprocate

Saudi, Israeli officials hold talks in Washington on potential U.S. strikes against Iran

‘Very dangerous’: Trump warns Britain on China ties as Starmer hails progress in Beijing


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Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

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

Renee Pruneau Novakoff

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

AmericasNorth AmericaRenee Pruneau NovakoffUnited States

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

Ambassador Patrick Duddy

OPINION / EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Turmoil in Minneapolis and the unprecedented friction within NATO over President Trump’s effort to secure control over Greenland have, predictably, displaced headlines about Venezuela in [...] More

AmericasLatin AmericaExpert View
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News & Analysis

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

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

RussiaEurope

Opinion

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

Emmanouil M. Karatarakis

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

AmericasNorth AmericaUnited StatesAlternative PerspectivesEmmanouil M. Karatarakis

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

A Field Guide to Surviving Trauma
A Field Guide to Surviving Trauma

Kilowatt of Wrath: Revenge and Assassinations via Secret Cooperation
Kilowatt of Wrath: Revenge and Assassinations via Secret Cooperation

From Shah to Supreme Leader: A Revolution Gone Wrong
From Shah to Supreme Leader: A Revolution Gone Wrong

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The Best National Security Gossip

REEL INTELLIGENCE: BEIJING TAKES SPIES TO THE SILVER SCREEN: If you plan on being in China to celebrate the Lunar New Year (around February 17), you may also want to catch the premiere of Beijing’s first big-budget, contemporary national-security espionage thriller. The movie, called Jingzhe Wusheng - which loosely translates to something like “Scare Out” - is reportedly a frantic cat-and-mouse chase through the ultra-modern city of Shenzhen after plans for China’s new fighter jet get leaked. The film was produced under the leadership of China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS). Reuters notes that while the MSS has [...] 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

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.