Columns

The World Leaders to Watch in 2026

The World Leaders to Watch in 2026

OPINION — The recent release of President Trump’s new National Security Strategy (NSS), with its emphasis on “the Trump corollary to the Monroe [...] More

A Bold 2025 National Security Strategy

OPINION — Out with a “rules-based international order” and in with “U.S. core national interests”, according to the U.S. National Security Strategy [...] More

Modeling the Earth with AI is Now a Strategic Intelligence Imperative

EXPERT OPINION / PERSPECTIVE — We are currently witnessing a mobilization of technical ambition reminiscent of the Manhattan Project, a realization [...] More

Why the ‘Double Tap’ Incident Matters Far Beyond a Single Strike

EXPERT OPINION — For about a week we experienced significant controversy over the first military attack on alleged narco-trafficker small boats off [...] More

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The Push and Pull Between Washington and Beijing in the South China Sea

The Push and Pull Between Washington and Beijing in the South China Sea

OPINION — China uses a layered approach in the South China Sea that blends military power, paramilitary forces, legal instruments, and political [...] More

This is Perhaps Ukraine’s Most Dangerous Time

This is Perhaps Ukraine’s Most Dangerous Time

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Each of my eight trips to Ukraine since retiring from the CIA in the summer of 2023 has been filled with unique challenges. Each [...] More

What It Means Now that Fentanyl is Designated a “WMD”

What It Means Now that Fentanyl is Designated a “WMD”

OPINION — “There's no doubt that America's adversaries are trafficking fentanyl into the United States in part because they want to kill Americans. [...] More

Trying to Impose a Loser’s Peace on Ukraine Is a Dead End

Trying to Impose a Loser’s Peace on Ukraine Is a Dead End

OPINION — The fate of territory in eastern Ukraine remains the “most difficult” sticking point in the ongoing peace talks, President Volodymyr [...] More

We Need More Than Just a Command Shakeup in the U.S. Military

We Need More Than Just a Command Shakeup in the U.S. Military

EXPERT OPINION — Reports came out last week that claim the Chairman of Joint Staff, General Dan Caine, is preparing a new unified command plan (UCP) [...] More

A Blueprint for Next-Generation Defense Production

A Blueprint for Next-Generation Defense Production

OPINION — The Pentagon’s push to overhaul its slow, specification-driven procurement system is an overdue acknowledgment that our defense industrial [...] More

The Next Nuclear Proliferation Crisis Is Already Here

The Next Nuclear Proliferation Crisis Is Already Here

OPINION — Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly threatened that Russia might use nuclear weapons if its sovereignty or territory is [...] More

Anti-Semitism is a National Security Issue: It’s Time to Treat it Like One

Anti-Semitism is a National Security Issue: It’s Time to Treat it Like One

EXPERT OPINION / PERSPECTIVE -- Less than three months ago, two people were killed in a terrorist attack on Jewish people in a synagogue in [...] More

How the U.S. Military’s Top Officer is Looking at the World’s Hotspots

OPINION — “Our [the Joint Chiefs of Staff] job is to present and my job with the Joint Chiefs and others is to present the range of [military] [...] More

The Cipher Brief's Recommended Reads for the Holidays

The Cipher Brief's Recommended Reads for the Holidays

BOOK REVIEWS & RECOMMENDATIONS -- Welcome to our annual holiday book review and recommendations list, where we highlight some of the terrific books [...] More

Why an Unmanned Mission May be Most Effective in Venezuela

Why an Unmanned Mission May be Most Effective in Venezuela

OPINION — Wars are increasingly fought by unconventional means. A recent example is Ukrainian insertion of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to attack [...] More

Columns

The World Leaders to Watch in 2026

The World Leaders to Watch in 2026

A Bold 2025 National Security Strategy

A Bold 2025 National Security Strategy

Modeling the Earth with AI is Now a Strategic Intelligence Imperative

Modeling the Earth with AI is Now a Strategic Intelligence Imperative

Why the ‘Double Tap’ Incident Matters Far Beyond a Single Strike

Why the ‘Double Tap’ Incident Matters Far Beyond a Single Strike

Popular

Why the ‘Double Tap’ Incident Matters Far Beyond a Single Strike

This is Perhaps Ukraine’s Most Dangerous Time

Modeling the Earth with AI is Now a Strategic Intelligence Imperative

We Need More Than Just a Command Shakeup in the U.S. Military

The Push and Pull Between Washington and Beijing in the South China Sea

The Latest

The Push and Pull Between Washington and Beijing in the South China Sea

The Push and Pull Between Washington and Beijing in the South China Sea

This is Perhaps Ukraine’s Most Dangerous Time

This is Perhaps Ukraine’s Most Dangerous Time

What It Means Now that Fentanyl is Designated a “WMD”

What It Means Now that Fentanyl is Designated a “WMD”

Trying to Impose a Loser’s Peace on Ukraine Is a Dead End

Trying to Impose a Loser’s Peace on Ukraine Is a Dead End

X’s Location Feature Exposes a Real Problem, but Does Not Fix It

We Need More Than Just a Command Shakeup in the U.S. Military

We Need More Than Just a Command Shakeup in the U.S. Military

A Blueprint for Next-Generation Defense Production

A Blueprint for Next-Generation Defense Production

The Next Nuclear Proliferation Crisis Is Already Here

The Next Nuclear Proliferation Crisis Is Already Here

Anti-Semitism is a National Security Issue: It’s Time to Treat it Like One

Anti-Semitism is a National Security Issue: It’s Time to Treat it Like One

How the U.S. Military’s Top Officer is Looking at the World’s Hotspots

How the U.S. Military’s Top Officer is Looking at the World’s Hotspots

The Cipher Brief's Recommended Reads for the Holidays

The Cipher Brief's Recommended Reads for the Holidays

Why an Unmanned Mission May be Most Effective in Venezuela

Why an Unmanned Mission May be Most Effective in Venezuela

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