These are Turbulent Times for Australian National Security
This piece from Cipher Brief Expert Nick Warner was first published in The Australian and is re-published with permission from the author. OPINION — We […] More
Intelligence
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
Did The Cold War Ever Really End?
Sonya Seunghye Lim, Former Chief of Station, CIA Sonya Seunghye Lim is a former Chief of Station with the Central Intelligence Agency where she had […] More
US Intelligence is only as Good as what goes into it
OPINION — Officers in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)’s Directorate of Operations (DO) have a penchant for action and readiness to serve in any circumstance. […] More
Intelligence Isn’t Just for Commanders Anymore
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Intelligence is for commanders, or at least so I’ve been told. Regardless of the term you prefer—commander, principal, or policymaker—the idea expressed […] More
The Perfect Storm of Technology, Intelligence and AI
OPINION — The Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution is here and is rapidly becoming a central element of the Great Power Competition. Machine Learning (ML) and […] More
The Real Power of Intelligence ‘Auxiliaries’
The democratization of intelligence is changing how espionage is done – and by whom. How can states best achieve their aims in an age of […] More
Fabrication Operations in War
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Thursday that an attack against a kindergarten in Ukraine is a “false flag operation designed to discredit the Ukrainians”, […] More
The US is Engaging in a Strategy to Share Intelligence on Russia More Broadly. Is it Worth the Risk?
As US and European diplomacy efforts to de-escalate tensions along the Ukraine border — where nearly 130,000 Russian troops have amassed — seem to have […] More
The Intelligence Game is Changing. Are We Ready?
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — As retirees of the Clandestine Service at the CIA, we worked for decades in the shadows around the world, at ease in […] More
Open Source Intelligence and Uncovering Secrets Hidden in Plain Sight
OPINION — The intelligence community (IC) has long struggled with the idea of Open Source intelligence, or OSINT. For the last 80 years, it has […] More
The Message Putin Needs to Hear
EXPERT OPINION — “Peace for our time,” declared British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain upon his arrival at Heston Aerodrome outside London on 30 September 1938. […] More
Putin’s Asymmetric Blind Spot
OPINION — Perhaps it is just a reckless Khrushchevesque opening gambit, but Russia’s recent security demands suggest that Vladimir Putin’s condition for avoiding military action […] More
A More Isolated and Unpredictable North Korea in 2022
This piece from Cipher Brief Expert Ambassador Joe DeTrani was first published in The Washington Times OPINION — Kim Jong Un, during his ten years of authoritarian rule […] More
What the Chinese Think They Know About US Nuclear Strategy
OPINION — Despite U.S. officials regularly voicing concern about lack of knowledge as to where China’s nuclear weapons program has been going, officials have known […] More
Biden’s Ravens: Leaders to Watch in 2022
OPINION — As President Joe Biden concludes his first year in office, his administration continues to face numerous national security challenges. According to many, Biden’s […] More
A Former Presidential Briefer Rethinks Truth to Power
OPINION — “I think we should stop teaching ‘truth to power’,” a CIA analytic instructor once told me. That was more than a decade ago, […] More
The Urgency of the Moment for Congress on AI and National Security
(Editor’s Note: This article is the fifth and final article in a series first published by our friends at Just Security that is dives into the foundational […] More