General Michael Hayden
Former Director, CIA and NSA
The Cipher Brief’s National Security Network
Our expanding network of national security experts and contributors includes top thinkers from the intelligence, military, academic and business sectors. Their collective contributions to the security conversation will lead to tomorrow’s solutions.
Gen. Jack Keane (Ret.)
Former Vice Chief of Staff, United States Army
General David Petraeus (Ret.)
Former Director of the CIA
Michael Vickers
Former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence
General Philip M. Breedlove
Former Supreme Allied Commander, NATO
Admiral James Stavridis (Ret.)
Former Supreme Allied Commander, NATO
Lt. Gen. James R. Clapper (Ret.)
Former U.S. Director of National Intelligence
General Frank McKenzie (Ret.)
Former Commander, United States Central Command
Sir Alex Younger, Former Chief of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, MI6
Former Chief of British Secret Intelligence (MI6)
Michael Chertoff
Former United States Secretary of Homeland Security
Sir John Sawers
Former Chief of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6)
General Keith Alexander
Former Director, National Security Agency
General John R. Allen
Former Commander of the NATO International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan
Patrick Calvar
Former Director General of the French Security Service, the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI)
Nick Warner
Former Director-General of the Office of National Intelligence (ONI) Australia
General Stanley McChrystal
Former Commander, ISAF
Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Former President of Estonia
John McLaughlin
Former Acting Director, Central Intelligence Agency
Tom Bossert
Former Homeland Security Advisor to the President
Tom Ridge
Former Secretary of Homeland Security
Charlie Allen
Former Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Kenneth Wainstein
FORMER Cipher Brief Expert currently serving as Undersecretary for Intelligence and Analysis at DHS
Richard Fadden
Former National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada
Admiral Eric T. Olson
Former Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command
James N. Miller
Former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
Robert Work
Former Deputy Secretary of Defense
Robert Cardillo
Former Director, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
Michele Flournoy
Former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
Martin Petersen
Former Acting Executive Director, CIA
Admiral James 'Sandy' Winnefeld (Ret.)
Former Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley (Ret.), Former Director, Defense Intelligence Agency
Former Director, Defense Intelligence Agency
Saxby Chambliss
Former U.S. Senator (R-GA)
Jane Harman
President and CEO, Wilson Center
Sir David Omand GCB
Former Director of GCHQ (the UK Sigint Agency)
Robert Hannigan
Former Director, GCHQ
Conrad Prince
Former Director General for Operations and Deputy Director of GCHQ
Alan Kohler
Former Assistant Director of the Counterintelligence Division, FBI
Christopher Costa
Former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism on the National Security Council (NSC)
George Barnes
Former NSA Deputy Director
Chris Inglis
Former U.S. National Cyber Director
Liesl Jordan
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Alex Creswell
Former Member British Foreign Service
Jennifer Ewbank
Former Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency for Digital Innovation
Deborah Lee James
Former Secretary of the United States Air Force
Bill Evanina, Former Director, National Counterintelligence and Security Center
Director, National Counterintelligence and Security Center
John Carlin
Former Acting Deputy Attorney General
Michael Leiter
Former Director, National Counterterrorism Center
Peter Leahy
Former Chief of the Australian Army
Nicholas J. Rasmussen
Former Director, National Counterterrorism Center
Ellen McCarthy
Former Asst. Secretary of State, Bureau of Intelligence and Research
Tim Willasey-Wilsey, Former Senior Member, British Foreign Office
Former Senior Member of the British Foreign Office
Benjamin Powell
Co-Chair, Cybersecurity, Privacy and Communications Practice, Wilmer Hale
Lieutenant General Kevin McLaughlin
Former Deputy Director, U.S. Cyber Command
Mary Beth Long
Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
Glenn Gerstell
Former General Counsel National Security Agency
Katharina McFarland
Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition
Stewart Baker
Former General Counsel of the National Security Agency
Matt Hayden, Former Assistant Secretary for Cyber, Infrastructure, Risk and Resilience, Department of Homeland Security
Former Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Cyber, Infrastructure, Risk and Resilience Policy
Neil Wiley
Former Principal Executive, ODNI
John Edwards
Former Deputy Chief Operating Officer, CIA
Dave Pitts
Former Assistant Director of CIA for South and Central Asia
Gilman Louie
CEO & Chairman, LookingGlass Cyber Solutions
Rear Adm. (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Former Executive Director, Cyberspace Solarium Commission
Senior Director at the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI) at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Raj De
Former General Counsel, National Security Agency
Samantha F. Ravich
Chair of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI) at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Admiral Jonathan Greenert
Former Chief of Naval Operations, U.S. Navy
Charlie Cleveland
Former Director of Operations and Military Deputy Director, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency
Francis X. Taylor
Former Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, DHS
Ambassador Andy Weber, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Defense Programs
Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Defense Programs
Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges (Ret.)
Former Commanding General of US Army Europe
Ambassador Kurt Volker
Former United States Ambassador to NATO
Vice Admiral Mike LeFever
Former Director of Strategic Operational Planning, National Counterterrorism Center.
Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan
Former Commander of US 5th Fleet, the 32 Nation Combined Maritime Forces, and Director of OPS at CENTCOM
Doug Wise
Former Deputy Director, Defense Intelligence Agency
Scott Howell
Former Commander, Joint Special Operations Command
David R. Shedd
Former Acting Director, Defense Intelligence Agency
Nick Thompson
Former CIA Paramilitary Officer and Naval Special Warfare Operator
Ambassador Joseph DeTrani
Former Director of the National Counterproliferation Center
Jonathan M. Winer
Former US Special Envoy to Libya
Ambassador Richard Boucher, Former Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia
Former Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia
Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula (Ret.)
Dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
Marcel Lettre
Former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence
Deborah Jones
Ambassador of the United States of America, Retired
Rolf Mowatt-Larssen
Former Director of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, U.S. Department of Energy
Douglas E. Lute
United States Ambassador to NATO
Darrell Blocker, Former Senior Executive, CIA
Former Senior CIA Executive
Michael Daniel, President & CEO, Cyber Threat Alliance
President & CEO, Cyber Threat Alliance
April Doss
Associate General Counsel for Intelligence Law, NSA
Jim Danoy
Former Defense Intelligence Executive
Ambassador Gary Grappo
Former U.S. Ambassador to Oman
Cynthia Saddy
Former Senior Executive with the Central Intelligence Agency
Husain Haqqani
Former Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States
Paula Doyle
Former Associate Deputy Director of Operations, CIA
Bernard Hudson
Former Chief of Counterterrorism, CIA
Michael Sulick
Former Director, CIA National Clandestine Service
David Marlowe, Former Deputy Director CIA, Operations
Former Deputy Director, CIA, for Operations
John Bennett
Former Director, CIA National Clandestine Service
Jack Devine
Former Acting Director, CIA National Clandestine Service
RADM Mike Studeman (Ret.)
Former Commander of the Office of Naval Intelligence
Dana Dyson
Former Deputy General Counsel of CIA for Operations
Geoffrey Corn, Former U.S. Army Judge Advocate Officer
George R. Killam, Jr., Chair of Criminal Law and Director of the Center for Military Law and Policy at Texas Tech University School of Law
Edward Bogan
Former Senior CIA Operations Officer
Andy Dunn
Former Analyst & Agency Leader, CIA
Dave Spirk
Former first-Chief Data Officer, Department of Defense
Patrick Weninger
Former CIA Senior Intelligence Officer
Norman T. Roule
Former National Intelligence Manager for Iran, ODNI
Scott Wright
Former Senior Executive, CIA
Andrew Boyd
Former Senior Intelligence Service Officer, Directorate of Operations, CIA
Jill Sanborn
Former FBI Executive Assistant Director for National Security
Lieutenant General Frank Helmick, U.S. Army, Retired
Senior Vice President, SOSi
John Nixon
Former Senior Leadership Analyst, CIA
Chip Usher
Senior Director for Intelligence at the Special Competitiveness Studies Project
John Lauder
Former Deputy Director of National Support, National Reconnaissance Office
Lt. Gen. Michael Groen (US Marine Corps, Ret.)
Former Director, Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, DoD
Ralph Goff
Former Senior Intelligence Executive, CIA
Carol Rollie Flynn
Former Associate Deputy Director, National Counterterrorism Center
Kevin Keaton
Former Chief of Innovation, National Security Agency (NSA)
Rob Dannenberg
Former Head of Security, Goldman Sachs
Ted Singer, Former Senior Intelligence Service Officer, CIA
Former CIA Senior Intelligence Service
Michael Nagata
Former Commander of US Special Operations Command-Central
Mark Davidson, Former Senior Intelligence Officer, CIA
Former Senior Intelligence Officer, CIA
Jon Darby, Former Director of Operations, National Security Agency/CSS
Former Director of the Operations Directorate, NSA/CSS
Linda Weissgold
Former Deputy Director for Analysis, CIA
Gwyn Armfield
Brigadier General, USAF, Retired
Nick Fishwick
Former Senior Member of the British Foreign Office
Levi West
Dr. Levi West is the Director of Terrorism Studies at the Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security at Charles Sturt University.
Beth Sanner
Former Deputy Director for National Intelligence, ODNI
Robert J. Eatinger, Jr.
Former Senior Deputy General Counsel, CIA
Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, US Army (Ret.)
Former Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs
Karen Schaefer
Former Chief of Operations, Directorate of Science and Technology, CIA
Gary Corn
Director of the Technology, Law & Security Program- American University
Col. (Ret) Candice Frost
Former Commander, Joint Intelligence Operations Center, U.S. Cyber Command
Mark Kelton
Former Senior Executive Service Officer, CIA
Glenn Corn
Former Senior CIA Operations Officer, Member of Senior Executive Service and Adjunct Professor of Russian/Soviet Studies
Sean Corbett
Former Air Vice Marshall, UK Royal Air Force
John Pereira
Former CIA Director for Support
Mark Cooter
Former Colonel, U.S. Air Force
Alec Bierbauer
Former CIA Officer, Directorate of Operations
Robert Richer
Former Associate Deputy Director for Operations, CIA
James Jeffrey
Former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and Turkey
Leslie Ireland
Former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Intelligence and Analysis
Stephanie Douglas
Former Executive Assistant Director (EAD), National Security Branch, FBI
Alison P. Bouwmeester
Former Senior Leader, Directorate of Operations, CIA
Sean Roche
Former Associate Deputy Director of CIA for Science & Technology, Digital Innovation
Farah Pandith
Former Special Representative to Muslim Communities, U.S. Department of State
Carmen Medina
Former CIA Deputy Director of Intelligence
Sonya Seunghye Lim
Former Chief of Station, CIA
Stephanie Bellistri, Former Deputy Chief of Operations, CIA
Former Senior CIA Officer, Directorate of Operations, CIA
Carmen Landa Middleton
Former Deputy Executive Director, CIA
Kate Charlet
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy, Department of Defense
Mary Margaret Graham
Former U.S. Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Collection
Kenneth Pollack
Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute (AEI)
Joseph W. Augustyn
Former Member, CIA's Senior Intelligence Service
IN MEMORIAM -- Brett Davis
Partner, New North Ventures
Laura Thomas
Former Case Officer- CIA
John Sipher
Former Member, CIA's Senior Intelligence Service
Paul Kolbe
Former Director, The Intelligence Project at Harvard University’s Belfer Center
Alasdair Gordon
Former Senior National Security Officer, Australian Government
David Bridges
Senior Geopolitical and Security Advisor at Fidelity Management and Research Company
John D. Tullius
Former National Intelligence Chair at the Naval Postgraduate School
Fran Moore
Former Director of Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency
Joanne Isham
Former Deputy Director National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA)
Kristin Wood
Former Chief of Innovation and Technology at the CIA Open Source Center
Steven L. Hall
Former Member, CIA's Senior Intelligence Service
Rhea Siers
Former Deputy Associate Director for Policy, National Security Agency
Bill Harlow
Senior Editor, Under/Cover, The Cipher Brief
Marc Polymeropoulos
Former CIA Senior Intelligence Service (SIS) Officer
Bruce Hoffman
Professor, Georgetown University
Kevin Hulbert
Former CIA Chief of Station
Karyn Eliot
Former Senior Executive CIA
Todd Rosenblum
Former Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas' Security Affairs
Rob Lively
Command Sergeants Major (Ret) U.S. Army Special Operations
Steven Ward
Former Senior Analyst, CIA
Michael Vigil
Former Chief of International Operations, DEA
Robert Grenier
Former Director, CIA Counterterrorism Center
Daniel Markey
Senior Research Professor and Academic Director of the Global Policy Program at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
James Lewis
Senior Vice President and Program Director, CSIS
Daniel Hoffman
Former Senior CIA Officer
Alex Bolling
Former CIA Chief of Station
Emile Nakhleh
Former Member, CIA's Senior Intelligence Service
Michael Allen
Former Majority Staff Director, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
Nate Jones
Former Director for Counterterrorism, National Security Council
Bradley Fernandez
Former Member, CIA's National Clandestine Service
Chris Fussell
Former U.S. Navy SEAL
Kevin Buckley
Former Member CIA's Senior Intelligence Service
Michael Fisher
Former Chief, U.S. Border Patrol
Rodney Faraon
Partner & Chief Creative Officer, Martin+Crumpton Group
Jeanine Hayden
Member of the Board of Governors, National Military Family Association
Mitch Silber
Former Director of Analysis, NYPD
William Green
Former CIA Directorate of Operations