Latest Expert View Columns

Establishing an Independent Open Source Agency Without Security Clearances OPINION — Disclaimer: Integrating the Intelligence Community (IC) after the failures of 9/11 was the challenge […] More

OPINION — Like many Americans who came of age in the 1980s, I have lasting childhood memories of the Space Shuttle program.  The Shuttle program […] More

Russia’s economic struggles in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine are forcing Moscow to become more closely aligned with China, India, North Korea and […] More

Militaries are more rapidly adopting green technology used to counter climate change to bolster their energy security and navigate increasingly complex logistics challenges. The Cipher […] More

Interstate relations are normally governed by self-interest and restraint but the ongoing war in Ukraine, when coupled with Russia’s escalatory bent, have rendered predictions about […] More

A streak of mild weather across Europe has finally relented to colder temperatures and the possibility of controlled power cuts in places where energy supplies […] More

EXPERT Q&A — Europeans are already feeling the cold, even as near-full energy storage capacity and mild weather have worked to avert a full-blown European […] More

OPINION – For those who have been privileged enough to read, write for, or brief the Intelligence Community’s President’s Daily Brief (PDB), the following quote […] More

EXPERT Q&A Read also Is a US-China Face-off Over Taiwan Looming for Subscriber+Members The Cipher Brief:  At the 20th CCP Congress, what stood out amid the […] More

EXPERT Q&A Read also How Dirty and Dangerous will Putin Get in Ukraine for Subscriber+Members The Cipher Brief:  What do you see as the significance of […] More

EXPERT Q&A The Cipher Brief:   Several media assessments suggest that within Ukraine, Russia will turn “dirtier and more dangerous,” replaying to a certain degree past tactics […] More

EXPERT PERSPECTIVES — We are living in times of intense challenges – the biggest war in Europe since World War II, economic stress as we […] More

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — On September 9th, Kim Jong-un, at a session of the Supreme People’s Assembly, made it officially clear that North Korea will remain […] More

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — As we used to say in government, it could be worse.  A single death or wounding, a single destroyed hospital, school or […] More

The Cipher Brief spoke with former Canadian National Security Advisor and former Deputy Minister of National Defence Richard B. Fadden about the risks and challenges […] More

A former NATO Supreme Allied Commander takes aim at the Russian President’s less-than-perfect assumptions about invading Ukraine and the opportunity presented for NATO The Cipher […] More

Hoffman’s piece was first published in The Washington Times OPINION — Chinese President and Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping has declared his country will […] More

Dr. Kenneth Dekleva served as a Regional Medical Officer/Psychiatrist (including 5 years at the U.S. Embassy Moscow, Russian Federation) with the U.S. Dept. of State […] More

Peter Pascucci is a commander in the United States Navy and Kurt Sanger is a lieutenant colonel in the United States Marine Corps.  They have […] More

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is defending President Trump’s decision to withdraw support for Kurdish troops in Northeast Syria, saying Turkey has a “legitimate […] More

Kenneth M. Pollack is a Resident Scholar of the American Enterprise Institute. It’s not surprising that a great many people would like to push back […] More

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is in Washington for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.  On the Agenda are a number of important […] More

As a former Department of Justice detailee to the National Security Council, I fully appreciate the value that rule of law brings to this country.  […] More

Cipher Brief Note:  Shiite Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr assured Iraqis this past weekend that the next Iraqi government will be ‘inclusive’.  Al-Sadr, who once fought U.S. […] More