When Does a President Become a National Security Risk?
There are a couple of key questions we should all have when it comes to the difference of opinion between President-elect Donald Trump and the […] More
CIA
Trump's Attacks Do Not Bode Well for the CIA, Former Officers Say
What impact will President-elect Donald Trump’s attack on the Intelligence Community have on the CIA as it steels itself to deal with its already contentious […] More
Espionage Strategy: Russia's Long View vs. America's Short-Term Goals
As part of our special coverage of Foreign Influence, Domestic Division: Russia, the 2016 Election, and Trump’s Rebuke of the U.S. Intelligence Community, The Cipher […] More
Trump's Rift with CIA Could Damage Allies' Confidence in U.S.
The statement by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump dismissing the CIA’s findings that Russia had interfered in the recent election has implications for the Agency, the […] More
Fmr. CIA Acting Dir. Michael Morell: "This Is the Political Equivalent of 9/11"
The Washington Post report on a secret CIA assessment concluding that Russia intervened in the U.S. Presidential election with the intention of helping President-elect Donald […] More
The President-elect's Dismissal of CIA's Election Findings Is Not Acceptable
As the United States and the international community absorbed the news that the CIA believed Russia had interfered in the recent Presidential election to help […] More
An Open Letter to the CIA Director Nominee
One of President-elect Donald Trump’s first choices for his national security team was Representative Mike Pompeo for Director of the CIA. A graduate of West […] More
The Security Clearance Process Might Need a Revamp
As the security clearance process comes under the microscope during President-elect Donald Trump’s transition, some experts and former intelligence community members say the system for […] More
The Consequences of Eroding Human Intelligence Collection
The U.S. Intelligence Community’s (IC) clandestine human intelligence (HUMINT) services are experiencing an erosion of their core mission and values, with consequences to our current […] More
Spies in the Congo: The Unique Role of the OSS
Susan Williams’ book, Spies in the Congo, provides a well-researched and detailed history of the efforts of the Office of Strategic Services, America’s first strategic […] More
The Fall of Moscow Station: Thinking Outside the Box
Mark Henshaw’s latest spy thriller could have been ripped straight from today’s headlines as tensions between Moscow and Washington continue to mount. The Fall of […] More
Great Power Rivalry Is Here to Stay, Say National Security Leaders
With a decline in U.S. global influence since the 2008 financial crisis, China’s emergence as an economic and increasingly political world power, and Russia striving […] More
The Post-9/11 U.S. Intelligence Community
Fifteen years ago, 19 hijackers and four planes shattered American illusions of security. An outside attack seemed remote to most Americans, and there appeared to […] More
Measured Progress
In the aftermath of 9/11, the American intelligence community (IC) went through one of the most transformative periods in its history. From the creation of […] More
Not Letting Up One Inch
Reflecting on the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11, Congressman Will Hurd of Texas said that there have been both successes and room for improvement as the […] More
Free Speech, But: The Public Writings of Former Intelligence Officials
In recent years, it’s been increasingly common for former CIA operations officers to write books and Op-Eds. In an Op-Ed for Fox Business online last […] More
Time for a New CIA?
Across the Central Intelligence Agency lobby from the iconic stars memorializing officers killed in the line of duty is a less well-known memorial. It is […] More
A blunt defense of interrogations, targeted killings and domestic spying
Former NSA and CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden has released a book called Playing to the Edge: American Intelligence in the Age of Terror, which […] More