The Man in the Kremlin Must Be Smiling
Vladimir Putin is smiling because he thrives on chaos, particularly in the camp of the “Main Enemy,” a term the Soviet and Russian intelligence services […]
Opinion
America Needs Smart Power, Not Just Hard Power
Amidst a busy week in national security, The Cipher Brief’s CEO and Publisher, Suzanne Kelly, spoke with Admiral James Stavridis, former Supreme Allied Commander of […]
Book Review: "Enhanced Interrogation"
Enhanced Interrogation: Inside the Minds and Motives of the Islamic Terrorists Trying to Destroy America is a firsthand account of the CIA’s controversial interrogation program […]
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love our Crowded Skies
You may not realize it, but every day you interact with geospatial intelligence (GEOINT). Whether it’s the think tank that’s monitoring the Syrian refugee migrations, […]
The IC Is Not a Murky Cabal Pulling the Strings in Washington
A recent narrative has taken hold among journalists and pundits that a “deep state” is behind the recent flood of leaks embarrassing the Trump Administration. […]
Nuclear Posture Review: Response to Russia?
Pressure is growing for development of a new, U.S., low-yield, land-based or air-launched, tactical nuclear weapon as a response to Russia’s recent deployment of a […]
The Cost of Rushing into Raqqa
The Trump Administration last week announced it deployed hundreds of U.S. Marines and Army Rangers to Syria to support the campaign to take Raqqa, the […]
The Interrogation of Saddam: An Opportunity of a Lifetime
This week, The Cipher Brief’s Executive Producer and Reporter Leone Lakhani speaks to John Nixon, author of “Debriefing The President: The Interrogation of Saddam Hussein.” […]
Over and Under Estimating the North Korean Threat
In the span of one week we have seen North Korea test four missiles, evidence of U.S. attempts to sabotage North Korea’s missile program with […]
Mitigating “The Legend of Sophistication” in Cyber Operations
The drumbeat of cyber incidents continues unabated, with breaches at email providers, insurance companies, defense contactors, telecoms, adult websites, government databases, and so much more. […]
Watching a Three-Ring Circus
I’ve covered many political scandals over the past 50 years, including Watergate, Iran-contra, and the Clinton impeachment, but the past few weeks have convinced me […]
A License to Receive Intelligence?
Should government officials be licensed or pass a test before they can receive intelligence? The debate about whether to believe intelligence reporting on Russian hacking […]
The Interrogation of Saddam and Dispelling Myths
This week The Cipher Brief’s Executive Producer and Reporter Leone Lakhani speaks to John Nixon, author of “Debriefing The President: The Interrogation of Saddam Hussein.” […]
Making the Unknowns Known in Space
NASA has never hesitated in the face of the unknown. The space agency landed men on the moon in less than a decade. It has […]
Trump Needs Political-Military Plan for ISIS
On January 28, President Donald Trump signed an order for the U.S. military to review the campaign against ISIS and develop a decisive plan to defeat it within 30 days. […]
Mattis Needs Luck to Explain ISIS Options to Trump
President Trump wanted a military plan from his generals to “totally obliterate ISIS.” Instead, he is getting a series of political-military options put together not […]
The Battle Against ISIS: The Trump Administration’s 30-day Review
This week, Secretary of Defense James Mattis is expected to deliver the 30-day review President Donald Trump ordered regarding the United States’ strategy to fight […]
The Man Behind "Rise of the Machines"
“Rise of the Machines: A Cybernetic History” (2016) tells the story of cybernetics, a control theory of man and machine devised by mathematician Norbert Wiener […]