IC Integration: Stronger Together
The diversity and scope of national security challenges facing the U.S. continues to grow, asking ever more of an Intelligence Community (IC) that must stretch […] More
Intelligence
“Unmasking” U.S. Citizens Found in NSA Intercepts
The process of “unmasking,” or revealing the true identities of U.S. persons who unexpectedly figure into conversations picked up by National Security Agency (NSA) foreign […] More
Cipher Brief Expert View: The IC’s Critical Role
We are living in a more complex world, with more state and non-state actors demanding more of our attention. When we actively contributed to the […] More
Nunes “Undermines Himself” with Surveillance Claims
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes on Wednesday said he had seen intelligence reports showing that communications of President Donald Trump’s transition team had been […] More
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love our Crowded Skies
You may not realize it, but every day you interact with geospatial intelligence (GEOINT). Whether it’s the think tank that’s monitoring the Syrian refugee migrations, […] More
The IC Is Not a Murky Cabal Pulling the Strings in Washington
A recent narrative has taken hold among journalists and pundits that a “deep state” is behind the recent flood of leaks embarrassing the Trump Administration. […] More
Principles of Covert Action
At the outset of a new administration, it is prudent for incoming officials to bring CIA expertise in and look back at covert action, exploring […] More
Homeland Season 6:“Imminent Risk”
The CIA’s Dar Adal was eventually revealed as the mastermind of a plot against the incoming President, but in this episode, the villain emerges as […] More
A License to Receive Intelligence?
Should government officials be licensed or pass a test before they can receive intelligence? The debate about whether to believe intelligence reporting on Russian hacking […] More
What in the World is Happening in Pakistan?
The last couple of weeks have seen almost daily terrorist attacks across Pakistan from a variety of bad actors: February 13: A suicide bombing during […] More
DNI Nominee Vows to Work with Lawmakers on Russian Probe
President Donald Trump’s pick for Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said on Tuesday that the U.S. needs to look at Russian actions “with eyes […] More
Empowering the New National Security Advisor
General Michael Flynn’s resignation and the selection of H.R. McMaster as the new National Security Advisor has brought the roles and responsibilities of this position […] More
Cyber Under the Next NSC
Rumors about a planned Trump Administration cybersecurity executive order offer signs of hope that many of the cyber policy lessons learned, often the hard way, […] More
The Next-Generation DNI
Saying you are in favor of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) is like suggesting you are a Republican in D.C. – the odds against […] More
Intelligence and the Trump Administration
There has been much said about how often President-elect Donald Trump takes his Presidential Daily Brief (PDB), the Intelligence Community’s (IC) assessment of key national […] More
Technology Advances Prompt Changes in CIA Collection Procedures
In the final few days of the Obama Administration, CIA Director John Brennan, after consulting with the Director of National Intelligence, brought years of CIA […] More
Haspel Hailed by CIA Vets
We’re revisiting a 2017 piece, when Gina Haspel was nominated to become the CIA’s deputy director, after Tuesday’s news that President Donald Trump is nominating […] More
What if the U.S. Can’t Keep a Secret? The Real Impact of Manning’s Leaks
Now that the dust has settled on President Obama’s unexpected decision to, his last week in office, commute the sentence of Chelsea Manning, it’s worth […] More