How Does the CIA Recruit Russian Spies?
CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING — As any good intelligence officer will tell you, recruiting spies is a tough business. Not only do you have to identify […] More
Espionage
WEEKEND INTERVIEW: Russia’s War – and Russian Espionage – Are Causing Havoc in Europe
SUBSCRIBER+ EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW — Since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian espionage and disinformation campaigns have caused havoc across Europe. Russian […] More
U.S. and Allies Warn Veteran Pilots: China Is Trying to Recruit You
SUBSCRIBER+ EXCLUSIVE REPORTING — The U.S. and its allies in the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing community – Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand – warned Wednesday […] More
‘Lamps are Going Out all over Europe’ when it comes to Russian Espionage
OPINION — The day before Britain declared war on Germany in August 1914, the Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey remarked to a friend that “the […] More
The Latest
Chalk Marks: A Review of The Sympathizer
ENTERTAINMENT — “I am a spy, a sleeper, a spook, a man of two faces.” This opening sentence of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s novel The Sympathizer […] More
Ignore the Threat of Russian Intelligence Operations at Your Own Peril
SUBSCRIBER+EXCLUSIVE EXPERT PERSPECTIVE / OPINION — The Russian Intelligence Services are getting a lot of attention in the U.S. media these days. It makes sense. […] More
Why ‘Ronin’ is an Espionage Classic
CHALK MARKS / COLUMN — If you craft a list of professionals who by virtue of their job knowingly undertake an effort they expect to […] More
E-Commerce Lessons for Espionage
OPINION — I recently enjoyed an overdue reunion with some college friends, wrongly assuming war stories from this retired CIA officer would wow my pals […] More
Why the Classic Movie ‘Spy Game’ Gets it Right
OPINION — Many moons ago, when I started my training as an operations officer, the world and country were in a different place. Everyone I […] More
Gen Z and CIA is a Relationship in Need of Counseling
OPINION — As a mere “wretched pensioner” in retirement (words taken from my good friend and former CIA colleague Doug Wise), I spend a great […] More
‘Chalk Marks’ Best of 2023
CHALK MARKS / OPINION / ENTERTAINMENT — In a January long past, in one of those places that has dozens of words for snow, I […] More
‘Lioness’ is Entertaining. Is it Realistic?
OPINION — It’s been true for a long time that female intelligence professionals have been giving the CIA and the United States a tremendous advantage […] More
An Entertaining Mission (if you choose to accept it)
OPINION — One of the best things about being a retired CIA ops officer is now that people know I was a “spy,” I am […] More
Defending Against State-Sponsored Espionage Targeting the U.S. Private Sector is a Team Effort
OPINION — Last year, Congress spent 52 billion dollars on the CHIPS Act to advance the semiconductor industry in the United States because semiconductors are […] More
The Government has an Espionage Problem. Open Source should be part of the Solution.
OPINION — The unauthorized release of classified information and the subsequent arrest of Jack Teixeira has raised important questions. Why does the Air National Guard […] More
Russia’s State-Sponsored Hostage Taking Reaps Rewards for the Kremlin
OPINION – Russia’s arrest of Wall Street Journal journalist and US citizen, Evan Gershkovich, on espionage charges is the latest example of the Russian Federal […] More
The Unraveling of Russian Spies
OPINION — Last Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated the illegal intelligence department [Division S] of his Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) on its 100th anniversary in […] More
The Spies Sent Back to the Cold
EXPERT ANALYSIS — Since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine began, Europe has embarked on a purge of Russian spies that has been described as “the largest mass […] More
Soviet Espionage Under the Cover of Diplomacy
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Immediately after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last month, the US government expelled 13 Russian diplomats working at the United Nations. It did […] More