Cipher Brief Experts

General Frank McKenzie (Ret.)

The Melting Point: High Command and War in the 21st Century

General Frank McKenzie (Ret.)

As the Commander of U.S. Central Command, General Frank McKenzie oversaw some of the most important — and controversial operations in modern U.S. military history. He had direct operational responsibility for the strikes on Qassem Soleimani and...

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An explosive work of speculative fiction set in 2054, at a moment when a radical leap forward in artificial intelligence combines with America’s violent partisan divide to create an existential threat to the country, and the world.

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Michael Vigil

Drug Capo

Michael Vigil

The book is about transnational organized crime that import illegal drugs into the U.S. creating drug addiction and overdose deaths. It dissects the Mexican cartels which have grown in size and power.

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Vice Admiral Mike LeFever

End Game First: A Leadership Strategy for Navigating a Crisis

Vice Admiral Mike LeFever

In a world where crises lurk around every corner, this book is your insurance policy. It's your guide to transparent communication, decisive action, and constant improvement.

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Michael Vickers

By All Means Available: Memoirs of a Life in Intelligence, Special Operations and Strategy

Michael Vickers

A vivid insider's account of a life in intelligence, special operations, and strategy from the Cold War to the war with al-Qaeda.

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Sir David Omand GCB

How to Survive a Crisis: Lessons in Resilience and Avoiding Disaster

Sir David Omand GCB

From the former Director of GCHQ comes an invaluable guide to surviving crises - how to spot them early and lessen their devastating consequences - using the latest intelligence strategies.

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Admiral James 'Sandy' Winnefeld (Ret.)

Sailing Upwind: Leadership and Risk from TopGun to the Situation Room

Admiral James 'Sandy' Winnefeld (Ret.)

Sailing Upwind is more than just another memoir of a distinguished former naval officer‘s highly diverse career. This book by Admiral James “Sandy” Winnefeld is also intended to offer useful reflections regarding how he accepted and managed risk...

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Admiral James Stavridis (Ret.)

To Risk It All: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision

Admiral James Stavridis (Ret.)

A master class in decision-making under pressure through the stories of nine famous acts of leadership in battle, drawn from the history of the United States Navy, with outcomes both glorious and notorious.

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Gwyn Armfield

Lead to Serve and Serve to Lead: Leading Well in Turbulent Times

Gwyn Armfield

Leading Well in Turbulent Times, is written for leaders at all levels to equip them with the skills needed to succeed in today’s challenging world.

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Rolf Mowatt-Larssen

Vampires Rule!

Rolf Mowatt-Larssen

The American CIA and old Russian KGB are back at it, but this time their conflict is played out in a lethal game of espionage between a select core of Vampires inspired by the colorful archives of the Cold War.

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Walter Pincus

Blown To Hell: America’s Deadly Betrayal of the Marshall Islanders

Walter Pincus

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Walter Pincus exposes the darkest secret in American nuclear history―sixty-seven nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands that decimated a people and their land.

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General Stanley McChrystal

Risk: A User’s Guide

General Stanley McChrystal

General Stanley McChrystal offers a battle-tested system for detecting and responding to risk.

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Marc Polymeropoulos

Clarity in Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the CIA

Marc Polymeropoulos

Meet your next crisis head on and get through it stronger than ever by using the hard-earned strategies and core principles from Marc Polymeropoulos, a highly decorated, 26-year operations officer with the CIA.

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Jon Allen

Future War and the Defence of Europe

Jon Allen

Future War and the Defence of Europe offers a major new analysis of how peace and security can be maintained in Europe: a continent that has suffered two cataclysmic conflicts since 1914.

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Jane Harman

Insanity Defense: Why Our Failure to Confront Hard National Security Problems Makes Us Less Safe

Jane Harman

An insider's account of America's ineffectual approach to some of the hardest defense and intelligence issues in the three decades since the Cold War ended.

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Admiral James Stavridis (Ret.)

2034: A Novel of the Next World War

Admiral James Stavridis (Ret.)

From two former military officers, a chillingly authentic geopolitical thriller that imagines a naval clash between the US and China in the South China Sea in 2034—and the path from there to a nightmarish global conflagration.

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