Afghanistan in a Precarious Position as U.S. Prepares to Leave
Even though the Trump administration has yet to settle precisely on the speed, timing or terms of withdrawal from Afghanistan, there is no doubt that […]
Opinion
Kashmir’s Back Story Brief
The Cipher Brief’s new Academic Incubator program publishes the work of undergraduate and graduate students, writing short briefs on current national security issues. This week’s […]
Why do we need Plutonium Pits?
OPINION — The Trump administration’s year-old plan to vastly increase future production of plutonium pits, the triggers of thermonuclear weapons, caught my attention just days […]
When Will China Move on Hong Kong?
China’s communist leadership is struggling over how to respond to Hong Kong’s swelling protests. Giving in to protesters’ demands for democracy or allowing unrest to […]
Trump’s Test as India and Pakistan Clash over Kashmir Again
When the latest India-Pakistan flare-up arose over disputed Kashmir, my mind went back to Christmas Eve, 2001. My family was urging me to get to […]
President Trump’s Polish Adventure
OPINION — President Trump’s scheduled trip to Poland this coming weekend to participate in that country’s Sept. 1, 80th anniversary of the start of World War […]
Life as an Intelligence Officer in the Age of Twitter
There has been much concern and consternation in the media— some perhaps understandable after two plus years of tweets and “off the cuff” statements by […]
A Public-Private National Security Alliance
The Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) is preparing for one of its biggest events of the year. The non-profit counts more than 160 industry, […]
The G7 and Russia
As the Group of Seven (G7) leaders meet in the French coastal town of Biarritz this weekend, the issue of recent Russian behavior will most […]
The G7 Should Redouble Efforts to Stop Covert Foreign Money
By Josh Rudolph and Adam Kline, Alliance for Security Democracy This weekend may be the first time in the history of the G7 that the group meets without agreeing […]
North Korea EMP Attack: An Existential Threat Today
Dr. Peter Vincent Pry is executive director of the Task Force on National and Homeland Security. He served on the Congressional EMP Commission as chief […]
The Army’s Cyber Teams of the Future
OPINION — The U.S. Army is working on major changes in doctrine, organization and training “to develop a force that can effectively engage great-power competitors, […]
What Could Prompt Chinese Intervention in Hong Kong?
Protestors in Hong Kong are sticking by their demands which include a formal withdrawal of an extradition bill that launched protestors onto the streets earlier this […]
An Intelligence Officer’s Guide to Dissent
(Editor’s note – Thursday, August 15 is the last day of work for Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and his Principal Deputy Director Susan […]
The Growing Threat of Domestic Terrorism
The Cipher Brief is bringing you a range of perspectives this week on the threat of domestic terrorism and what a range of experts say […]
What Really Happened at CIA Black Sites
Former CIA and FBI official Phil Mudd knows a lot of details you probably don’t about CIA black sites. He knows, because he was associated […]
Strzok Case Looks at Privacy versus Politics
OPINION — The alleged Privacy Act violation by Trump administration officials in publicly disclosing former FBI Special Agent Peter Strzok’s personal text messages without his […]
Sue Gordon’s Rock and a Hard Place
One of the country’s leading Intelligence professionals made her way quietly to the White House late Thursday afternoon to deliver her letter of resignation to […]