What the IC Can Learn from Dr. Anthony Fauci
OPINION — If intelligence officers wanted one person to model themselves after, from the perspective of the Intelligence Community’s commitment to objectivity, they could find […]
Opinion
Offensive Operations and US Defense
OPINION — “Offensive operations, often times, is (sic) the surest, if not the only (in some cases) means of defence,” a retired George Washington, living […]
Author Gordon Corera talks about the Russians Among Us
Long-time BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera recently published a new book, Russians Among Us: Sleeper Cells, Ghost Stories and the Hunt for Putin’s Spies. […]
Yes, this is Panic, but do not Despair
Cipher Brief Expert Sean Roche served as the Associate Deputy Director of CIA for Digital Innovation serving as the second-in-command of CIA’s first new directorate in […]
Syria: Is the Endgame Approaching?
Cipher Brief Expert John McLaughlin is a distinguished practitioner in residence at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He served as the Deputy […]
Combatting Terrorism in West Africa and the Sahel
Cipher Brief Expert Emile Nakhleh is a retired CIA Senior Intelligence Service Officer and founding director of the CIA’s Political Islam Strategic Analysis Program Office. […]
The Latest US Nuclear War Game Gets Real
OPINION — On February 20, during his visit to Strategic Command (STRATCOM) headquarters near Omaha, Nebraska, Defense Secretary Mark Esper took part in a mini-war-game […]
Susan Gordon’s Journey from CIA Analyst to PDDNI
The Listening Post is a new Cipher Brief column specifically highlighting the experiences of women in the national security space, in both the public and […]
The Syria Scorecard 14 Months On
OPINION — On 19 December 2018, President Donald Trump announced a withdrawal of American Troops from Syria, setting off fierce criticism that led to the […]
Why We Need More Leaders Like Edward Gabriel
OPINION — When Edward Gabriel passed away unexpectedly this January, I lost one of my closest friends, but America—in the throes of coronavirus panic—lost a […]
What Our Nuclear Future Looks Like
OPINION — Last Friday, the Associated Press and Reuters both reported that an un-named senior administration official said that the U.S. told Moscow that President […]
US Foreign Policy and a ‘Bridge to the Unknown’
Cipher Brief Expert John McLaughlin is a distinguished practitioner in residence at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He served as the Deputy […]
The Russian Obsession
OPINION — President Trump, this past week, has shown that he is just as serious today about undercutting the intelligence community’s January 6, 2017, conclusion […]
Behind the Headlines in Munich
Several Cipher Brief experts attended this year’s Munich Security Conference, which concluded last weekend. The annual event is an opportunity for Atlantic allies to share […]
Coronavirus Emergency Presents Opportunity for U.S.-China Diplomatic Cooperation
Ambassador Joseph DeTrani is former Special envoy for Six Party Talks with North Korea, as well as former CIA director of East Asia Operations. He […]
How Will Investigations Into Russian Interference Move Forward?
OPINION — President Trump is actively trying to excise the criminal fallout from investigations into Moscow’s 2016 covert support for his presidential election and have […]
The Man in the Kremlin is Still Smiling, So What Have We Really Learned?
Cipher Brief Expert and former CIA Deputy Director for Counterintelligence, Mark Kelton wrote for The Cipher Brief back in 2017 that, The Man in the […]
In Espionage, Bigger Isn’t Always Better
Douglas London is a retired senior CIA Operations Officer and Adjunct Associate Professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Security Studies. Mr. London served 34 years […]