Columns And Op‑Eds

Staying with Iran Nuclear Deal is Trump’s ‘Only Real Option’

by Ambassador Gary Grappo

Donald Trump’s address to assembled world leaders at the United Nations last week raised new doubts about his willingness to renew waivers for Iran and continue with the Iran nuclear accord, known...

Trump’s Erratic Rhetoric Increases Risk of War in Koreas

by Walter Pincus

Saturday’s Pentagon announcement that B-1B bombers escorted by F-15C fighters had flown a route above the demilitarized zone in international airspace over the Sea of Japan east of North Korea,...

Why Unmasking is Critical to National Security

by Michael J. Morell

In mid-March, The Cipher Brief spoke with former CIA Acting and Deputy Director Michael Morell about the issue of “unmasking” – the common practice of executive branch officials...

Daniel Silva's House of Spies: Old Spies Don’t Die or Fade Away

by Michael Sulick

As General Douglas MacArthur famously said, “Old soldiers don’t die, they just fade away.” In the world of fiction, old spies don’t die or fade away – they remain ageless,...

Trump’s Tough U.N. Rhetoric Reassures U.S. Allies

by General Jack Keane

President Donald Trump delivered his address this week at the United Nations General Assembly with a focus on the importance of sovereignty and the threats posed by rogue regimes he called “the...

Expect ‘Ferocious’ North Korea Response If U.S. Strikes

by Joseph DeTrani

The Trump Administration continues to pound away at North Korea, insisting military options are on the table, but so far the threats have not stopped Pyongyang from pursuing tests of its nuclear...

Austerity Cloud Hovers Over Pentagon Wish List for Guerillas and Climate

by Walter Pincus

The Senate-passed, fiscal 2018 Defense Authorization Bill carries two little-publicized amendments that will impact future war-fighting capabilities. But the measure fails to deal with the darkest...

Intel Agency Teaches Machines to Read Maps of the Future

by Duncan Scot Currie

Geospatial intelligence, or the collection and analysis of the physical features of the Earth, has long been an integral aspect of both strategic national security efforts as well as tactical combat....

Terrorists Learn Tactics by Watching Each Other

by Mitch Silber

Earlier today, an improvised explosive device was detonated on the London underground railway, known as the Tube, injuring more than 20 people in what British authorities have deemed a terrorist...

An Open Letter to the Incoming DIA Director

by Doug Wise and Matt Gunning

Next month, Lieutenant General Robert Ashley will take over as the 21st director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.  The career Army military intelligence officer currently serves as the senior...