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national security

Human Agency in a Technology-Mediated World

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Occasionally, a speech does more than mark a leadership transition or outline institutional priorities. It captures, with [...] More

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(Original Caption) 9/5/1963-Washington, DC- Flying over the Virginia side of the Potomac River, the impressive site of the world's largest office building crops into view. The Pentagon, which covers 34 acres of land including a 5-acre pentagonal center court, houses personnel of the U.S. Department of Defense, which includes the Departments of Army, Navy and Air Force. This bird's eye view also shows part of the 67-acre parking space area.

Assessing the Pentagon’s Mission to Rebuild the ‘Arsenal of Freedom'

DEEP DIVE — The Pentagon is waging war against its own acquisition bureaucracy. In a sweeping speech on Friday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth [...] More

How America Can Balance Legal Migration with Strong National Security

OPINION — Zohran Mamdani, a Ugandan-born New York State Assembly member, was just elected Mayor of New York City, the largest city in the U.S. We in [...] More

America’s Next National Security Crisis: A War on Its Own Energy Base

OPINION — Every mission begins with trust. In World War II, the U.S. government trusted private energy producers to deliver aviation gasoline at [...] More

The U.S. Role in a Multipolar World - and the Dangers of Isolationism

OPINION — “What should the U.S. role in the world be right now? We're waiting for the [Trump administration] National Security Strategy to come out [...] More

A ship crosses the Baltic Sea at sunrise

The War You Can’t See: Gray Zone Operations Are Reshaping Global Security

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE -- In the middle of the night, with no witnesses, a single ship flagged out of Hong Kong drags its anchor across the Baltic Sea. [...] More

The U.S. Needs More Patriot Missiles

The U.S. Needs More Patriot Missiles

CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING – On June 23, the U.S. Army used roughly 30 Patriot missiles to defend against an Iranian attack on Al-Udeid, the largest U.S. [...] More

Sabotage Without Warning: ​Why the Gray Zone Could Be America’s Biggest Blind Spot

Sabotage Without Warning: ​Why the Gray Zone Could Be America’s Biggest Blind Spot

EXPERT BRIEFING — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced this week that 32 people have been detained since the start of Moscow’s war with [...] More

The U.S. Has 40,000 Troops in the Middle East

The U.S. Has 40,000 Troops in the Middle East

CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING -- Recent U.S. strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities propelled the 40,000 American forces in the region into the spotlight [...] More

The Cipher Brief's Hottest Summer Reading

The Cipher Brief's Hottest Summer Reading

CIPHER BRIEF FEATURE REPORTING -- With the 4th of July holiday fast approaching, now is a good time for our annual summer list of recommended beach [...] More

Security will be a Critical Aspect of New AI Center

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — The recent signing of an agreement between the United Arab Emirates and the United States to create a large scale joint center [...] More

Counter-AI May be the Most Important AI Battlefront

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Artificial intelligence (AI) has truly captivated the American imagination, with increasing attention focused on the latest AI [...] More

The World of Threats – According to the Defense Intelligence Agency 

OPINION - “[Russian President Vladimir] Putin almost certainly is committed to victory in Ukraine, and his objectives remain mostly unchanged since [...] More