Testing Trump’s Nuclear Fuse, North Korea Launches More Missile Tests
South Korea says that North Korea launched what appeared to be two short-range missiles on Thursday, which would constitute the second round of missile tests […]
Opinion
Baseball and the CIA: My 10 Favorite Life Lessons
Baseball in the Polymeropoulos family is our life. We spend the majority of our year engrossed in my 17-year-old son’s fledgling career, playing across the […]
A Disastrous Plan for the Muslim Brotherhood
The Trump Administration is reportedly considering designating the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization after a recent White House visit between President Donald Trump and Egyptian […]
What are the Russians Doing in Venezuela?
There are multiple international dynamics at play in Venezuela this week, particularly between the U.S., which is supporting the uprising of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan […]
Losing our National Security Through 5G Networks
The advent of 4G technology in 2006 and subsequent Smartphones completely changed the world of communication. Now 5G, which will be able to support billions […]
The Devil is in the Details for the F-35
OPINION — While the media and Congress have kept the public focused on the Mueller report and the next election, there are national security budgetary […]
What Happens When Weapons go to War?
Lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS) are weapons that need little, if any, human interaction in order to select and engage their targets. While technology to […]
How the CIA Penetrated Winterfell
Cipher Brief Expert and former CIA Deputy Director David Cohen ditched the Washington law firm suit and tie last week for a robe and a […]
Signs of Redemption Amidst Arab Political Upheavals
The anti-regime convulsions currently underway in Algeria and Sudan are the latest version of an “Arab Spring” that erupted in 2011 and that Arab autocrats […]
The Social Media Side of the Terrorist Threat
The Sri Lankan government responded to Sunday’s deadly terrorist attacks in part, by shutting down access to some social media sites, calling the ban a […]
What Could a Russia-North Korea Summit Mean?
Thursday’s expected summit between DPRK Chairman Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok, Russia follows on the heels of President Donald Trump’s […]
ISIS’ Shifting Focus
ISIS has claimed responsibility for a series of Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka that killed more than 300 people and injured 500 more. Sri […]
Russia’s U.S. Election Strategy by the Numbers
OPINION — At almost every crucial moment in the Mueller report, President Donald J. Trump is recorded having expressed concerns to advisors that reports of […]
The CIA Director’s Real Skills
On April 16, The New York Times published an article (in which I am quoted) with the headline, “Gina Haspel Relies on Spy Skills with […]
Setting Global Rules in Cyberspace
Christopher Painter has been on the vanguard of U.S. and international cyber issues for over twenty-five years and serves as a current Commissioner on the […]
It’s Been Over 300 Days Since a Pentagon Press Briefing
For about six months now, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has used her briefing room so little that officials might as well turn it back into […]
What to Make of North Korea’s Recent Weapons Test
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the testing of as a new ‘tactical guided weapon’ on Wednesday in the country’s first weapons test since […]
Russia’s Second Chance in Libya
The Cipher Brief’s ‘Academic Incubator’ column features analysis and observations by current and recent students associated with national security-focused academic programs. Earlier this month, the […]