How Harris and Walz Would Deal With Global Hot Zones
SUBSCRIBER+ EXCLUSIVE REPORTING – In the tumultuous and often unpredictable 2024 U.S. presidential campaign, this much is clear: the next occupant of the White House […] More
national security
America’s National Security Wake-Up Call
SUBSCRIBER+EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW – A recent report issued by the Congressionally-mandated Commission on the National Defense Strategy paints a bleak picture of future U.S. national security […] More
National Security Lessons from Crowdstrike’s Global Disaster
SUBSCRIBER+EXCLUSIVE ANALYSIS – As the world gets back online after a global outage that impacted some 8.5 million individual devices around the world, national security […] More
Outgoing NCTC Director Lays Out Today’s Very Real Terrorist Threat
EXPERT Q&A — Christine “Christy” Abizaid was sworn in as director of the National Counter-Terrorism Center (NCTC) in June of 2021, as the threat of […] More
DEEP DIVE: How Trump and Vance Would Deal With Global Hot Zones
SUBSCRIBER+ EXCLUSIVE REPORTING – Whoever wins the November 5 U.S. presidential election will face an almost unprecedented set of global security challenges: Wars in Europe […] More
Six Key Words in Trump Immunity Ruling – and the Words That Were Missing
OPINION — Chief Justice John Roberts’ opinion in the Trump immunity case, released July 1, expanded extensively a President’s “outer perimeter” of official actions subject […] More
A Background Check Logjam Is a National Security Problem
OPINION — “It’s unacceptable how we got to where we are, and we need to turn this thing around…We’re eight and a half years into […] More
How did the Presidential Debate Address U.S. National Security Issues? Not well.
OPINION – The Cipher Brief tapped expert Dave Pitts for his reaction to Thursday night’s debate from a national security perspective. “To the original national […] More
America, Ukraine and the Illusion of an Isolationist Choice
OPINION — In 2022 Russia launched its full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, a big and bloody war between the two largest countries in Europe with […] More
‘Havana Syndrome’ – and a Possible Russia Connection
SUBSCRIBER+ INTERVIEW — Who – or what – is to blame for the debilitating symptoms known as “Havana Syndrome”? The question has been asked repeatedly […] More
Profiling Leaders From Afar, To Anticipate the World’s Next Moves
OPINION — The deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian leave the country without two influential leaders during a time in […] More
Today’s Cold War is More Complicated than Ever
Dr. Michael G. Vickers, a Cipher Brief expert and former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, delivered opening remarks at the recent Cipher Brief HONORS […] More
The Baltimore Bridge Collapse Is Also a National Security Problem
OPINION — The collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge caused a tragic loss of life and awakened Americans to the fragility of the maritime transportation system. While […] More
How the World’s “Middle Powers” Will Influence Future Conflict
OPINION — U.S. President Joseph Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met at the White House last week amidst a rapidly deteriorating global security […] More
Should a U.S. President Ever Be Above the Law?
OPINION — “Making a former president immune from criminal prosecution could make the presidency itself a profound threat to national security, as it would permit […] More
Navigating the Frontier of Venture Capital and National Security
OPINION – Our country is witnessing a dramatic seachange at the intersection of technology, national security and venture capital, with USG leadership, innovators and investors […] More
FISA Amendments Must Acknowledge Critical Role of OSINT
OPINION — As we approach the April 2024 expiration of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), it is heartening to see a […] More
Where Are Bipartisan Congressional Leaders on National Security When You Need Them?
OPINION — “In order to allow Congress more time to reach consensus on how best to reform FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) and Section 702 […] More