The Quantum Revolution is Almost Upon Us
BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT: The potential of quantum is unquestioned, and far-reaching. It could create unbreakable encryption (and render current encryption methods useless), propel advances […] More
Innovation
An Opinion Series on Innovation: How the Intelligence Community Kills Ideas
OPINION — I recently saw a creative idea killed. Like a professional hit, the kill was silent and non-attributable. Managers essentially neutralized the employee—let’s call […] More
Why DoD Needs an Arsenal of Innovation
Alex Gallo is the Executive Director of the Common Mission Project and Visiting Fellow with the National Security Institute at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia […] More
And One More Thing: Further Thoughts on How the IC Can do Better
Carmen Medina, Former CIA Deputy Director of Intelligence Cipher Brief Expert Carmen Medina is a former CIA Deputy Director of Intelligence. A 32-year veteran of […] More
The Latest
Lesson for DOD: Profits Drive Innovation
Cipher Brief Expert Robert Eatinger has 35 years of experience practicing law in the fields of national security, intelligence, and international law. He is a solo […] More
The Case for an Intelligence Community Innovation Unit
OPINION — In the face of a world-altering pandemic, we must take this opportunity to create space for innovation within the Intelligence Community. I left […] More
Reimagining Intelligence and National Security Language Programs
Learning and teaching have quickly gone virtual due to coronavirus: schools, universities, museums, libraries, even zoos and gyms are delivering virtual learning experiences. The need […] More
China’s Paper Dragon
“This idea may be formulated as follows. The situation is better now than it was ten years ago; therefore ten years from now it will […] More
Innovation and How CIA Moves at the Speed of Mission
John Edwards spent 20 years at CIA in various operational and leadership positions. He also spent 12 years in the private sector, working with two […] More
Profile: Tackling the NSA’s Innovation Challenge
Innovation in Government isn’t generally a phrase that rolls off the tongue, but in a relatively unconstrained threat environment, innovation has become synonymous with survival. […] More
Congress’ Contribution to Innovation in National Security
The United States inherently boasts a creative, risk-taking culture that is inextricably linked to its free enterprise system. And while the federal government has a […] More
Racing to Secure Our Future
The Great Powers are in an Artificial Intelligence (AI) arms race. China publicly set a goal of becoming “the world’s primary AI innovation center” by […] More
Getting the Intelligence Edge with High-Risk, High-Payoff Research
Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity Director Jason Matheny worries a lot about national security risks that probably aren’t headlining many lists of pressing threats to […] More
DIA Joins Innovation Train, Reaches Out to Private Sector
A new DIA effort to attract a wider range of contractors and be nimbler is showing promise despite the hurdles it has to jump. The […] More
Hacking 4 Defense: The Future of Innovation in National Security
In a world where globalization makes it possible for adversaries to compete with American technologies, the United States must consistently innovate and adopt new tools […] More
DIUx: Capturing Technological Innovation
Since Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work discussed the Third Offset at a talk given in January of 2015, the concept has been the focus of numerous […] More
Innovation Beyond Silicon Valley
Whenever people think about cybersecurity, technology, and innovation, they tend to think about Silicon Valley, but The Cipher Brief asked Bob Stratton, a General Partner […] More
The Tech Must Flow
Although often hamstrung by bureaucratic inefficiency, the U.S. government has achieved considerable success in the field of scientific research. In fact, many indispensible products have […] More
From Government to the Private Sector
In 2009 I left a job at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and started Siege Technologies. My goal was to fill the vacuum […] More