State Secrets Archives

State Secrets is a weekly interview podcast featuring Cipher Brief experts and national security leaders.

Inside CIA’s Mission to Maximize Technology

CIA veteran Sheetal Patel helped stand up and then lead the spy agency’s Transnational and Technology Mission Center in 2022, at a time when there was no longer any denying that more outreach to the private sector and a better grasp of the technologies that were available had to become more of a focus if the Agency was to maintain its strategic advantage. Patel retired earlier this year after a 25-year career at the Agency and State Secrets Podcast host Suzanne Kelly caught up with her to find out how the Agency’s technology mission has evolved.

How AI & Images are Impacting U.S. Intelligence

Vice Admiral Frank Whitworth sits at the helm of the Intelligence Agency that is helping war fighters and Intelligence analysts better understand the world and what’s beyond it. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) works intensely with the private sector to bring the most critical technological advances to the mission – not just here on Earth, but in Space as well. Join us for this State Secretsconversation with Cipher Brief Honoree VADM Frank Whitworth on why getting the technology right – is so important to the broader national security mission.

Why We’re Still at War with Russia

Despite efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump to warm U.S. relations with Moscow amid negotiations for Russia to end its war in Ukraine, Russian sabotage operations, active measures and Gray Zone activities are continuing around the world. Moscow has mastered the art of engaging in operations that push right up to the edge of war, without really crossing that that line, or have they? The Cipher Brief talks with former Senior Member of the British Foreign Office Nick Fishwick and former senior CIA Executive Dave Pitts – who spent the bulk of his time at the Agency working in clandestine operations – about this new reality – that what we are seeing is really “war by a new name”.

National Security Hollywood Style

When Walter Parkes co-wrote the movie War Games in 1983, he had no idea what he had launched. The movie about a teen hacker played by Matthew Broderick examined what might happen if someone breached the security systems around U.S. nuclear weapons. As it turned out, then-President Ronald Reagan saw the movie and asked the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time whether it was possible. After an investigation, the answer came back, “Sir, it’s actually worse than you think.” Eighteen months later, the president signed a directive that would lead to an overhaul of cybersecurity in the U.S. Government. As The Cipher Brief honors Parkes with this year’s Impact Through Storytelling Award at The Cipher Brief HONORS Dinner, we sat down with him to talk about the very real power of storytelling.

China Keeps Breaking Barriers on Artificial Intelligence

So, what does it mean for U.S. national security? State Secrets is talking with Chip Usher, Senior Director at Eric Schmidt’s Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), about the broader implications of what DeepSeek and other breakthroughs in AI mean for national security.

Former DEA Official Explains the New Terrorist Designation for Cartels

In this conversation, Mike Vigil discusses the recent designation of Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations by the U.S. government, a move he says is largely symbolic with little real impact on the cartels' operations. He highlights the complexities of U.S.-Mexico relations, the ongoing fentanyl crisis, and the risks of military escalation. Vigil also offers advice for U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on addressing drug trafficking in Central America, stressing the importance of creating alliances and addressing the broader issues of drug production and trafficking.

The Seismic Impact Of Artificial Intelligence

Few people have the perspective that Lt. Gen Mike Groen (ret.) has when it comes to Artificial Intelligence and the impact it has and will have in the national security space. Before retiring from the military, Lt. General Groen served as Director of the Pentagon’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center. Today, he’s ringing the alarm about AI. The military is already adapting AI, so how does he think we need to be understanding it today?

Target: Start Up: How Entrepreneurs in Tech are Targeted for Espionage

Michael Casey is Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, the part of the Director of National Intelligence that leads and supports the counterintelligence and security activities of the U.S. Government. NCSC produces the National Counterintelligence Strategy of the United States and includes the National Insider Threat Task Force. NCSC also plays a critical role in conducting outreach to the private sector on foreign intelligence threats: how to recognize them and how to mitigate them. I spoke with him recently from NCSC headquarters in McLean, Virginia about the risks that spies are posing to their enterprises and to future U.S. national security.

Giving Back to the Intelligence and Military Communities

The Cipher Brief has been honored to support a number of non-profit organizations over the years that have made giving back their mission – especially in the national security world. In this episode of State Secrets, we’re welcoming David Kramer, a self-described ‘regular guy who wanted to give back’ and Jeremy Morton, a former special operations operator who has done some pretty impressive stuff during his time in the military – to talk about how they’re giving back via a non-profit called SOC-F.

Former Trump Ambassador on Why Ukraine ‘Must’ Win

Cipher Brief Expert and former Senior CIA Officer Glenn Corn is asking the questions of former Governor James Gilmore as this week’s guest host. Gilmore served as Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe under the first Trump Administration and says it’s critical that Ukraine wins this war.

The Case for Overhauling the Department of Defense

The Hon. Gilman Louie has had quite the career in national security, one that – despite his family’s background of service – he wasn’t exactly planning on. Now the co-founder and managing partner of America’s Frontier Fund, a phone call early in his career set him on a path that would lead to a 30+ year career “in the business” as they say. Louie’s focus on investing in future U.S. national security from the private sector side is a fascinating story. And his views on the technology race with China are both informed and concerning. He is one of the few people with a Silicon Valley mindset, who understands the inner workings of Washington D.C. So why is he so worried about America’s ability to protect itself?

On A Collision Course With China

Beijing is building its largest military since the 1930s and Matt Pottinger and his colleagues at Stanford are deeply concerned. First as a former journalist, and then as former Deputy National Security Advisor in the first Trump Administration, Pottinger has been watching what Chinese President Xi Jinping both says and does - for decades. He explains to The Cipher Brief’s State Secrets Podcast host Suzanne Kelly why those two things are making it very clear that China is on a collision course with the U.S.

Yes, We’re in a National Security Crisis

Silicon Valley Entrepreneur and author Steve Blank thinks way outside the Washington DC beltway. The Stanford Professor who teaches courses on lean start-ups, innovation and the art of entrepreneurship – also blogs regularly. It may not be a state secrets that one of his blogs published earlier this year about why large organizations struggle with disruption – and what to do about it – was a not-so-veiled reference to the pentagon. State Secrets host Suzanne Kelly sits down with Blank to talk about it.

The Government Agency that actually is trying to get inside your head: Understanding DCSA’s Mission

The Defense Counterintelligence & Security Agency touches more than 90% of the personnel security background checks that help determine whether a job candidate receives a security clearance. But the agency has other missions as well, all focused on enhancing national security. State Secrets podcast host Suzanne Kelly talks with Director David Cattler about the agency’s responsibilities, about just how long it takes to get a clearance, the challenges associated with clearing a workforce and about whether that marijuana you once tried really is a dealbreaker (we couldn’t resist the urge to ask).

Israel and the Law of International Armed Conflict

An Israeli airstrike against a school building in Gaza City earlier this month, killed nearly 100 people. Israel said the school served as an active Hamas and Islamic Jihad military facility. Hamas – which regularly sets up operational headquarters in civilian areas - denies it. With so many innocent civilians killed, this is exactly the kind of strike that is drawing intense criticism some ten months into Israel’s war against Hamas. A war that started with Hamas’ horrific terrorist attack on Israel last October.

America’s Wake Up Call on National Security

General Jack Keane (Ret.) talks to State Secrets host Suzanne Kelly about the serious threat posed to the U.S. today, by China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. And about how Americans need to take what’s happening in today’s world as a wake-up call and come together in ways we haven’t done since WWII, to ensure future U.S. national security.

The Arrest of Sinaloa Kingpin Ismael Zambada and Its Impact on the Drug Trade

In this episode of the State Secrets Podcast, Brad Christian interviews Mike Vigil, a former DEA Chief of International Operations, about the recent arrest of Ismael Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, and the implications for the drug trade and US-Mexico relations. They discuss the background of Zambada and the Sinaloa Cartel, the timing of the arrest, the role of fentanyl in the drug trade, and the challenges of combating the cartels. Vigil emphasizes the need for public awareness and education about the dangers of illegal drugs, as well as a comprehensive strategy involving cooperation between the US and Mexico.

Outgoing Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Reflects on today’s Very Real Terrorist Threat

Christine Abizaid, who has served as director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) for the past three years, sits down with State Secrets Podcast host Suzanne Kelly to talk about how the threat of terrorism has changed dramatically over the years and why the threat to Americans is still very real.

TRM Labs and National Security: A View from Inside an Early Stage, Venture-Backed Startup

In this sponsored episode of the State Secrets podcast, host Suzanne Kelly talks with Sujit Raman, Chief Legal Officer at TRM Labs about how the private sector is working with government to address some of today’s most pressing national security challenges and how professionals like Raman, who also served as Associate Deputy Attorney General at the Department of Justice, are helping bridge gaps between government and the private sector.