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National Security

A Letter to Congress on the Impact of Section 702

Trump’s Latest Military Campaign Tests the Limits of Presidential War Powers

OPINION / EXPERT PERSPECTiVE — According to reports, the Trump administration informed Congress that the ongoing hostilities against alleged [...] More

The Latest

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

Riding the Tiger: Why Xi and Putin’s ‘Axis of Autocracies’ Could End the Way Churchill Predicted

“Dictators,” Churchill observed, “ride to and fro on tigers from which they dare not dismount.” “And,” he added, “the tigers are getting [...] More

Putin's Drone Hit a NATO Nerve in Poland, Opening an Opportunity for Ukraine

Putin's Drone Hit a NATO Nerve in Poland, Opening an Opportunity for Ukraine

EXPERT INTERVIEW – More Western leaders and national security experts are now saying that Russia’s recent drone incursion into Poland was not a [...] More

Ex-Spy Warns of Case Officer Tactics in Trump-Putin Dynamic

EXPERT Q&A – After Friday’s meeting in Alaska between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, former CIA senior officer and [...] More

​The Weekend Interview: Former CIA Station Chief on Strategic Global Hotspots

​The Weekend Interview: Former CIA Station Chief on Strategic Global Hotspots

WEEKEND INTERVIEW: The signing of a peace framework between the President of Armenia and the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan on Friday at the White [...] More

Two Existential Threats: CIA’s Reputation vs. Democracy’s Survival

OPINION -- In his recent Cipher Brief essay, CIA's Latest Existential Challenge, former CIA senior officer Mark Kelton argues that the Central [...] More

Can the U.S. Fix a Broken System of Acquiring Weapons?

Can the U.S. Fix a Broken System of Acquiring Weapons?

DEEP DIVE – It’s a rare area of bipartisan agreement in Washington: a belief that the U.S. must reform the way it develops and obtains its weapons. [...] More

Experts Warn of Insurgents' Paradise in West Africa

Experts Warn of Insurgents' Paradise in West Africa

CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING– A terrorist group with links to Al Qaeda now controls a swath of territory five times the size of Texas, threatens the [...] More

How Trump Can Be the Winning President in Ukraine

“To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special [...] More

To Counter China, Reform U.S. Intelligence for the Digital Age

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE / OPINION -- The United States is facing a quiet and rapidly growing threat across the digital landscape, an unseen mathematical [...] More

The U.S. Has 40,000 Troops in the Middle East

The U.S. Has 40,000 Troops in the Middle East

CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING -- Recent U.S. strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities propelled the 40,000 American forces in the region into the spotlight [...] More

The Cipher Brief's Hottest Summer Reading

The Cipher Brief's Hottest Summer Reading

CIPHER BRIEF FEATURE REPORTING -- With the 4th of July holiday fast approaching, now is a good time for our annual summer list of recommended beach [...] More