The Latest US Nuclear War Game Gets Real
OPINION — On February 20, during his visit to Strategic Command (STRATCOM) headquarters near Omaha, Nebraska, Defense Secretary Mark Esper took part in a mini-war-game […] More
DoD
What Our Nuclear Future Looks Like
OPINION — Last Friday, the Associated Press and Reuters both reported that an un-named senior administration official said that the U.S. told Moscow that President […] More
Better Buying is Key to Russia-China Strategy
Cipher Brief Expert Robert Eatinger is former Deputy General Counsel and Acting General Counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency and retired Captain from the Navy’s […] More
Why a Closer Look at SOCOM Should be on the Radar
OPINION — It’s time for the House or Senate Armed Services Committees to take a close look at U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) and hold […] More
DoD’s New Marching Orders: Fail Fast
Walter Pincus is a contributing senior national security columnist at The Cipher Brief. He spent forty years at The Washington Post, writing on national security-related […] More
How I Build My Own Brief
TRUSTED SOURCE – In this day of disinformation and facts blending routinely with political opinion and being passed off as objective news, The Cipher Brief […] More
Disruptive Technologies and Operational Energy
This Academic Incubator column is part of an academic partnership with the Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology, presenting regular […] More
How Much Does a Pound of Cyber-Hardening Cost for Defense Systems?
SPONSORED CONTENT — As I’ve talked to many Department of Defense leaders over the years, I’ve often heard them ask, “how much would a pound […] More
Shaping the Air Force’s Future Battlespace
“My personal view is, the first shots of the future fight will be either in the cyber domain or — maybe it’s an ‘and’ — […] More
After Persistent Cyber Engagement Comes Gates, Guards and Guns
This Cyber Viewpoint comes from James Van de Velde, Associate Professor at the National Intelligence University as well as Adjunct Faculty at Johns Hopkins and […] More
Milley’s Mindset
Army Gen. Mark Milley indicated he would continue Pentagon independence from some of President Trump’s policies at his confirmation hearing to become the next chairman […] More
Deadlier Skies: Risks and Benefits of Drone Technology
Last week, the U.S. nearly launched retaliatory attacks against Iran for the shooting down of a U.S. military drone that was operating in the region. […] More
The Advance of Deadly Drone Technology
Peter W. Singer is a Strategist and Senior Fellow at New America and an editor at Popular Science magazine. Singer is considered one of the […] More
F-35 Procurement Strategy Needs a Reboot
Lockheed Martin says it will continue to bring down the hourly costs of operating the F-35 fighter jet, while continuing to address the problems that […] More
The Politics at Play in Iran
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says his country “will not wage war against any nation”, as tensions continue to escalate between the U.S. and Tehran. U.S. […] More
The Hypersonic Arms Race
U.S. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan recently warned that the U.S. “is not moving fast enough to stay ahead” of its rivals in space, specifically […] More
Will New Legislation Fix Old Problem of Overcharging DoD?
OPINION — Those of us old enough to remember the 1980s scandal of the Defense Department paying $640 for a toilet seat for the C-5 […] More
A Changing Mission at the Department of State?
Bottom Line Up Front The U.S. State Department is reportedly increasing its counterterrorism efforts, even as its diplomatic portfolio is further reduced. The State […] More