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Gray Zone

POKROVSK, UKRAINE - OCTOBER 7: A general aerial view shows the destroyed city covered in morning fog, following months of intense fighting near the front line, on October 7, 2025 in Pokrovsk, Ukraine.

Global Intelligence Report for Friday, November 7, 2025

07:16 America/New_York Friday, November 7 [...] More

The Latest

A ship crosses the Baltic Sea at sunrise

The War You Can’t See: Gray Zone Operations Are Reshaping Global Security

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE -- In the middle of the night, with no witnesses, a single ship flagged out of Hong Kong drags its anchor across the Baltic Sea. [...] More

Why the U.S. Is Losing the Cognitive Competition

EXPERT OPINION — In order for the U.S. to successfully compete for global influence against its adversaries and to avoid a kinetic fight, we must [...] More

The Hidden Leverage of Digital Chokepoints

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — When we think about the arteries of global power, images of oil pipelines or shipping lanes often come to mind. They are [...] More

Seizing a 21st Century Cognitive Advantage

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — In 1943, a body washed up on a beach in Huelva, Spain. It was the body of a Royal Marine officer, Major William Martin. Martin [...] More

Europe Must Prepare for the Long War

OPINION — Russian drones are forcing airports to close and fighter jets are breaching NATO airspace – clear signals of Moscow’s widening hybrid [...] More

China’s Gray War on America

OPINION — In early 2024, the American public received a stark warning from top U.S. security officials. Chinese state-sponsored hackers, known as [...] More

Expert Q&A: Undersea Cables Under Attack, from Outside and Within

EXPERT Q&A — Reports of damage to undersea cables across the world are on the rise, with suspected foul play in many of these incidents. These cables [...] More

Expert Q&A: The Silent Chinese Spy Threat Under the Waves

EXPERT Q&A — There is increasing focus on the vulnerability of undersea cables — a critical infrastructure which is key to much of global [...] More

I Sat Across the Table from China’s Spies. Here’s How They Operate in Fragile States

OPINION — In 2016, I sat across the table from China’s Director of Operations for the Ministry of State Security (MSS). Their visit to Kabul was [...] More

Are Undersea Cables a “Backdoor for Espionage” Against the U.S.?

Are Undersea Cables a “Backdoor for Espionage” Against the U.S.?

CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING — The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and members of Congress are warning that China may be engaged in underwater [...] More

When States Go Mob: The Criminalization of Modern Statecraft

OPINION — In the fall of 2021, an FBI informant received a chilling offer: $300,000 to assassinate former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton. [...] More

Expert Q&A: Taiwan Prepares for China’s Next Move

EXPERT Q&A — Taiwan’s recent Han Kuang military exercises tested the island’s responses to a potential full-scale Chinese invasion. The drills not [...] More