Open Source Podcast Archives

The Cipher Brief’s Open Source Report (OSR) is a M–F curated collection of open source developments around the world provided to a highly discerning national security audience. Think of it as your daily presidential brief on the events impacting US national security.

The Cipher Brief Open Source Report for Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Topping today’s report, US President Joe Biden warns of potential Russian chemical attacks in Ukraine and says they will be met with a ‘severe’ response. The White House also warns of imminent Russian cyber-attacks in the US. Ukrainian forces retake a suburb of Kyiv from Russian forces and EU leaders agree to bolster a European ‘Rapid Response Force’. Let’s get right to the full report today and remember you can always find links to our original sources in the Cipher Brief Daily newsletter. Sign up at thecipherbrief.com.

The Cipher Brief Open Source Report for Monday, March 21, 2022

Topping the news today: Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy has rejected a Russian demand to surrender the city of Mariupol: US missile defense deploys in Slovakia; Biden to speak with European leaders ahead of Europe visit and Saudi Arabia to boost oil production investment. Let’s get to the rest of today’s report and remember you can always find links to our source material in the Cipher Brief’s free daily newsletter, sign up at thecipherbrief.com.

The Cipher Brief Open Source Report for Friday, March 18, 2022

Today’s top story is the phone call that is underway between President Biden and President Xi, we’re waiting for the first readouts of that call. Also, Russian military continues its attacks in Western Ukraine; Germany announces a new national security strategy and South Africa’s President says NATO to blame for Ukraine war.

The Cipher Brief Open Source Report for Thursday, March 17, 2022

Today’s top story is that President Joe Biden called Vladimir Putin a war criminal and the US announces a major new military aid deal for Ukraine. This comes as many experts point to the stalled Russian advances in Ukraine as evidence of Russian military weakness. The White House also says Biden and Xi are set to speak tomorrow, so we'll be watching what comes out of that tomorrow.

The Cipher Brief Open Source Report for Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Today's top story is Ukranian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy addressed a joint session of congress where he called for more military aid; this comes as Ukraine’s military says it successfully mounted counter-offensive operations against Russia as some media reports suggest signs of compromise are appearing between the two sides. We’ve also got reports of a failed North Korean missile launch and some news related to released prisoners out of Iran. Remember you can find links to all of our source material in The Cipher Brief’s free daily newsletter. Sign up at the thecipherbrief.com

The Cipher Brief Open Source Report for Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Major headlines from today’s report are: Three EU leaders travel to Kyiv, a city under Russia bombardment as Ukrainian President Zelenskiy calls on Russia troops in Ukraine to surrender. Iran’s Foreign Minister is in Moscow for talks and US military forces conduct readiness drills in the Indo-Pacific region as North Koreas threatens to launch an ICBM. Let’s get to the full report now broken down by region of the world.

The Cipher Brief Open Source Report for Monday, March 14, 2022

Topping today’s Open Source Report: US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan says article 5 will be activated if Russia attacks NATO country as he heads to Rome to meet with Beijing’s top diplomat; Germany to buy F35’s; Russia attacks apartment building in Kyiv amid ongoing talks with Ukraine and South Korea warns of an imminent ICBM launch by the North.

The Cipher Brief Open Source Report for Friday, March 11, 2022

Topping today’s report: Cipher Brief Expert and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General (Ret) Phil Breedlove says ‘We in the West are completed deterred right now, Mr. Putin has deterred us.’ General Breedlove is one of 27 foreign policy experts calling for a limited no-fly zone in Ukraine to provide some protection for the humanitarian corridors. Speaking on CNN this morning Gen Breedlove says we need to shift to an ‘active deterrence’ state and retake the initiative from Russia and work to protect civilians in Ukraine. This comes as reports of new Russian attacks in the west of Ukraine, Russian advances on Kyiv and while some European leaders ramp up pressure on Putin for a ceasefire. We’ve also got news out of North Korea and why the US military wants to send commandoes back to Somalia. Let’s get to today’s report.

The Cipher Brief Open Source Report for Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Topping today's report: Ukraine’s president says babies are under ruble following reports of a Russian attack on a maternity hospital southern Ukraine. The US says its exploring options after rejecting a Polish plan to transfer jets to Ukraine and a senior Australian intelligence official warns of the risk of a ‘major power conflict’ following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It’s another very big news day with the war in Ukraine dominating the headlines. Let's get to the rest of it in today's episode.

The Cipher Brief Open Source Report for Tuesday, March 8, 2022

We’re coming to you today from Colorado Springs. We’re out here working with our incredible team on a few projects. It’s an incredibly big news days. Topping today’s open source report is news that President Joe Biden has announced a ban on the US purchase and import of Russian oil. His comments came in a televised address. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is also expected to announce a similar ban later today. This comes as US intelligence chiefs are testifying before Congress where they say that estimates are that up to 4000 Russian soldiers have been killed so far in the Ukraine war. Things are very fast moving in the news cycle right now so it’s likely that some of these stories are changing as we speak. Let’s get right to it.

The Cipher Brief Open Source Report for Monday, March 7, 2022

It’s hard to know where to start. If someone would have told me before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 that on Monday March 7 we would be reading the range of headlines that we have in today’s report, I would have said you were insane. In this episode we have reports of US officials traveling to Venezuela, Iranian condemnation of Russia, the UN’s highest court holding a special hearing on Genocide and Saudi Arabia’s plan to leverage oil to get what it wants from the US. All of this is against a backdrop of unthinkable suffering in Ukraine as Russia continues to assault civilian areas and unprecedented economic sanctions against Russia that we are yet to fully understand how they will ultimately impact global financial stability. I have to reference General Hayden’s comments at our threat conference years ago when he said the world has never been more complicated, that was in 2017. I think we’ve now entered a whole new dimension of complicated. Let’s get to the rest of today’s report.

The Cipher Brief Open Source Report for Thursday, March 3, 2022

But Western officials are warning that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is turning into a “slow annihilation” of Ukraine’s military and that continued siege tactics will increasingly hit civilian targets. The warning comes as Russia is reportedly deploying heavier weaponry and greater numbers of troops. A Western intelligence official told CNN that Ukraine’s will to resist is “extending” the fighting but “the cruel military math” is that Russia will eventually be able to overwhelm Ukrainian forces, which are already outgunned and outnumbered. Ukrainian officials are calling for even more immediate security aid from the West to keep defenses going.

The Cipher Brief Open Source Report for Wednesday, March 2, 2022

President Joe Biden says Russian President Vladimir Putin "has no idea what's coming' in State of the Union Address as the US continues to target Russia with financial punishment to include possible sanctions on Russia's energy sector. This comes as Russia claims controlof major Ukrainian Port while Ukrainian sources say that fighting in those key areas continues.

The Cipher Brief Open Source Report

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says reports of violations of human rights by Russia are ‘mounting by the hour’ and that Russian attacks are destroying critical infrastructure and targeting schools, hospitals and residential areas. He called the invasion of Ukraine ‘unprovoked and unjustified’ in a televised speech to the UN Security Council where he urged the members to assign accountability for this conflict to Russia. He also called into question whether Russia should be allowed to remain on the security council. Let's get to the rest of the report.

The Cipher Brief Open Source Report for Monday, February 28, 2022

Our thoughts are with everyone in Ukraine and all those allies already involved in the historic events happening in Europe right now, including our media colleagues who are doing incredible work reporting from Ukraine to share what’s happening with the world.

The Cipher Brief Open Source Report for Friday, February 25, 2022

It has been an incredible 36 hours with fast-moving developments over Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine. Topping the news today - Germany is signaling its willingness to cut Russia from SWIFT global financial system and Moscow is making new threats toward Finland and Sweden in what appears to be aimed at their signaling interest in joining NATO. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy is telling EU leaders that this may be the last time they see him alive. The EU has approved a second round of sanctions on Moscow as Putin urges the Ukrainian military to surrender. And Moscow says its open to negotiations with Ukraine. This comes as the Russian military meets with stiff resistance in parts of Ukraine. Let's get to the rest of today's report.

The Cipher Brief Open Source Report for Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Today’s news cycle is once again dominated by the crisis in Europe with announcements of major western sanctions against Russia amid news that Russia is evacuating its diplomatic staff from Ukraine while all signs appear pointed towards a further escalation. There is a lot in today’s report and things are very fast moving right now. Let’s get to it. Today’s Open Source report is brought to you by The Cyber Initiatives Group. New cooperation on cyber requires new thinking. Join CIG experts with public and private sector experience as they engage in a mission to educate and move the needle on national security and cyber. Find out more at cyberinitiativesgroup.com

The Cipher Brief Open Source Report for Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Media outlets around the world are showing scenes of Russian military units being moved into Eastern Ukraine this morning and while the US has so far stopped short of calling the moves an invasion, we are starting to get a glimpse of what immediate actions the US and EU are taking in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recognition of the breakaway Ukrainian provinces following his televised speech. We’ve got a lot more to tell you about today. Let’s get to the rest of today’s headlines.