The Cipher Brief

The AI Race Won't Be Won by the Best Model—But by the Fastest Military

Washington has identified artificial intelligence as a defining national security challenge. But as China rapidly integrates AI into military operations and state strategy, experts warn America's greatest vulnerability may be its inability to move with the same urgency.

Anthropic AI - Pentagon - Defense Technology - Photo Illustration

The United States Intelligence Community does not ordinarily deal in hyperbole. When the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released its [...] More

The Open Source Report

Expert Insights

Cipher Brief Experts bring context to today’s global events

The Warning Paradox: Why Correct Intelligence Often Fails

The Warning Paradox: Why Correct Intelligence Often Fails

In the months before Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. Intelligence Community did something remarkable. It got the call right—and [...] More

What’s on The Cipher Brief’s Digital Channel

TAIWAN'S OPEN-ENROLLMENT SPY PROGRAM: Taiwan's National Security Bureau launched a public website this week soliciting intelligence tips from Chinese nationals, citing growing economic hardship and political discontent on the mainland as evidence (or a hope?) that Beijing's own citizens are ready to share information. The site, built with anonymity protections and separate submission workflows for users inside of China is modeled on similar recruitment channels run by intelligence agencies in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Israel. The website features an AI-generated promotional video. Applications are [...] More

Get The Drop

Events

Live Events

Podcasts

State Secrets

America's national security challenges are evolving faster than ever—and the traditional defense innovation system is struggling to keep pace.

In this episode of State Secrets, Cipher Brief CEO Suzanne Kelly sits down with two of the most influential voices in defense innovation: Steve Blank, creator of the Lean Startup methodology and co-founder of Hacking for Defense, and Pete Newell, retired Army officer, founder of BMNT, and co-founder of Hacking for Defense.

Together, they discuss how students at leading universities are tackling real-world challenges from the Pentagon, intelligence community, and NASA; why AI is changing the way innovators build solutions; and what it will take for the United States to compete with increasingly adaptive adversaries like China.

The conversation explores defense acquisition reform, the Pentagon's innovation ecosystem, startup culture in national security, the rise of defense venture capital, and why the biggest challenge may not be technology—but people.