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Why Human Intelligence Matters More in an AI World

An impending casualty of artificial intelligence, we are told, is the human spy. The conventional wisdom is that in our AI future, there’s little [...] More

The Latest

Remembering Aldrich Ames and the Lives He Destroyed

“I would never wish death upon anyone, but I have read some obituaries with great satisfaction.” - Winston ChurchillOPINION -- I associate myself [...] More

Human Agency in a Technology-Mediated World

Occasionally, a speech does more than mark a leadership transition or outline institutional priorities. It captures, with unusual clarity, the nature [...] More

I Was Cheney's CIA Briefer: This is the Dick Cheney I Knew

About a week before being interviewed by Richard Bruce Cheney about whether I would be the right person to serve as his national security briefer, I [...] More

Dead Drop: Week of October 26

RIGHT AND WONG: To say that there is a little sniping going on between federal government spokespeople and the media – might be underselling it just [...] More

The Future of U.S. Intelligence: Leaner, Smarter, and Tech-Focused

It is time to reimagine the US intelligence community (IC). The 1947 National Security Act established the CIA which arguably had the biggest impact [...] More

How We Got SSCI with a Little Help from CIA

You’ve probably seen that iconic photo of Senator Frank Church (D-ID) holding up a CIA poison dart gun, right? Or perhaps the one of Senator Barry [...] More

When Truths Are Classified and Falsehoods Are Free

OPINION -- What happens when an intelligence officer who has sworn to protect classified information can’t refute an erroneous news report or a [...] More

Two Existential Threats: CIA’s Reputation vs. Democracy’s Survival

OPINION -- In his recent Cipher Brief essay, CIA's Latest Existential Challenge, former CIA senior officer Mark Kelton argues that the Central [...] More

The Cipher Brief's Hottest Summer Reading

The Cipher Brief's Hottest Summer Reading

CIPHER BRIEF FEATURE REPORTING -- With the 4th of July holiday fast approaching, now is a good time for our annual summer list of recommended beach [...] More

The Central Role of Women in the CIA

BOOK REVIEW: AGENTS OF CHANGE: The Women Who Transformed the CIABy Christina Hillsberg / Citadel June 24. 2025Reviewed by: Jennifer EwbankThe [...] More

Cloth and Dagger – A Deep Dive in the World of Espionage and the Vatican

BOOK REVIEW: VATICAN SPIES: From the Secord World War to Pope FrancisBy Yvonnick Donoël/ HurstReviewed by: Rolf Mowatt-LarssenThe Reviewer — Rolf [...] More

Rogg's History of Intelligence: Insightful, But Incomplete

BOOK REVIEW: The Spy and the State: The History of American IntelligenceBy Jeffrey P. Rogg / Oxford University PressReviewed by: Jason U. [...] More