‘MUST SEE’ TV: Pete Hegseth has ordered Defense Department leaders to verify that every member of the Department has watched or read a transcript of his recent speech to generals and admirals at Quantico, Virginia (In case you forgot, it’s the “no fat generals’ speech). According to CNN, a memo from Hegseth demands that this be accomplished by “31 October 2025.” So, with only a couple of weeks to go before the deadline, and a lot of troops tied up policing Chicago, groundskeeping in D.C. and blowing up the occasional Venezuela speedboat, it seems there is no time to waste. Since Pentagon staffers may have to search a little harder for objective news now (since Hegseth kicked out the members of the press who don’t agree to his new rules) perhaps he could just put his own video on a continuous loop in the room that once served as the Pentagon press briefing room. (We’re sensing a “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall” moment here).
TRICK OR TREAT? Here’s the best suggestion we’ve gotten so far as to what the Pentagon can do with that unused press briefing room: Open one of those Spirit Halloween stores.
WATCH THIS SPACE: The Pentagon’s new media rules (“don’t report anything unless we tell you in advance it is OK”) seem to be meeting near universal disdain. Just about every responsible journalistic organization (and a few un-responsible ones) have said refused to sign on to the new rules and therefore will have to turn in their Pentagon press passes. Only “One America News” has said it will bow to the new requirements. That got us wondering – with no news outfits holding press passes - what will become of the impressive (and underused) press briefing room in the Pentagon? One America News may be feeling pretty lonely in there. According to one article, “Secretary Hegseth has not briefed Pentagon reporters in nearly four months, and Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson has not conducted a briefing in two months.” Seems like a waste of space, even though a makeup room was created to adjoin the briefing room. But with no one eligible to attend future briefings (if they had them) perhaps the space could be put to better use. Maybe install pullup bars for some of those DoD generals who are now suddenly watching their figures, or a juice bar? Send us your thoughts. Info@thecipherbrief.com.
The Dead Drop is now updating throughout the week. Why? Because there's just too much good gossip in the national security world these days for a once-a-week collection.
LIKE CLOCKWORK: It seems like every time there’s a patriotic holiday, a uniformed service anniversary or a military milestone, there seems to be an explosion of congratulatory messages from well-meaning organizations mistakenly featuring images of foreign hardware and personnel meant to portray American versions of the same. We live for this. In the latest installment, journalist Dave Brown posted on X a shot of the Navy UDT-SEAM Museum celebrating the U.S. Navy’s 250th birthday – but deployed an image of a Russian missile cruiser proudly sailing before Old Glory. This goof earns our SEAL of disapproval (see what we did there). And for good measure, Brown also called out various politicians, veterans groups and manufacturers, but used pictures of Russian, Indian, and Japanese ships. C’mon Dave.
TIME TO CHOOSE YOUR TEAM: The Record, a publication by Recorded Future, reported on Friday that President Donald Trump has decided not to nominate Army Lieutenant General William Hartman, the current acting head of both the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, to those posts permanently. The Record says they have four sources (none on the record of course) confirming the decision. What’s more, they say Hartman, when told he would not be getting the gigs, put in his retirement papers. Hartman not getting the job is a little confusing if, as The Record reports, he had the support of both Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. If this is all true, Hartman’s saboteur must have been someone with real clout. Hartman became acting DIRNSA and Cyber Commander after the previous occupant of those posts, Air Force General Timothy Haugh, was given the heave ho for unexplained reasons in April, as conservative social media influencer, Laura Loomer - who has exactly zero experience in anything remotely related to national security - took credit for his ouster. Truth be told, we have no idea who will be taking credit for this latest decision, but we do know that General Haugh (who is now a Cipher Brief Expert) will be appearing on CBS’ 60 Minutes to talk about the real threat that China is posing to U.S. critical infrastructure and the sinister reason why they are doing it. It might be time to actually choose who you would rather have on your side when China makes a move - folks like Laura Loomer or experts like General Haugh and Lt. General Hartman, who have spent decades playing for Team America.
ICE SPY: According to TechCrunch, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently dropped a cool $825,000 on vehicles that can simulate cellphone towers and enable users to “spy on nearby phones.” A similar amount was dropped on a similar purchase in September 2024 – so the tactic is not unique to the current administration. Details are fuzzy, but the president of the company that sold the vehicles declined to provide any details due to “trade secrets.” TechCrunch invited readers to reach out to them via Signal and other means if they have information on ICE’s use of cell-site simulators. If you do – we recommend you do not use your cell phone to call them, however (just a thought).
THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT: We learned recently from The Atlantic that as of September 1, every new phone sold in Russia is required to include an app called “Max” that users can use to talk, text and route rubles to and from Russian banks. Akin to China’s “WeChat,” Max will offer users minimal assurances that their government is not spying on them. Putin and pals are pressuring folks who bought phones before September 1 to adopt Max too. Vlad is trying to stamp out WhatsApp which, several years ago, was designated an extremist organization in Russia. The Kremlin’s pitch is convenience, but the reality is obviously control. By forcing Russians onto a single state-approved platform, Putin is tightening his long-standing grip on the country’s digital sphere and taking a major step toward even more comprehensive surveillance. Or maybe we’re just missing something.
IF YOU’VE GOTTEN THE HEAVE-HO LATELY, DROP US A NOTE: thedeaddrop@thecipherbrief.com
NEED TO CATCH UP ON WHAT YOU MISSED IN LAST WEEK'S DROP? FIND IT HERE.