20 Years Later, Assessing the Value of the ODNI
EXPERT INTERVIEWS — The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) marks an anniversary today — 20 years since its creation as the top oversight […] More
ODNI
The ODNI, 20 Years After Its Creation: Reflections From the First Director
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW – The Office of the Director of National Intelligence – the ODNI – was born twenty years ago this month, in response to […] More
Intel Chiefs Detail Top Threats – and Get a Grilling Over Signal Leak
SPECIAL REPORT – The U.S. Intelligence Community’s (IC) annual assessment of threats facing the U.S. puts narcotics trafficking at the top of the list – […] More
Which Tulsi Gabbard Would Lead the ODNI?
OPINION — “For too long, faulty, inadequate, or weaponized intelligence have led to costly failures and the undermining of our national security and God-given freedoms enshrined in […] More
The Latest
Director of National Intelligence: Without the ODNI, ‘We Might Miss the Next 9/11’
SPECIAL REPORT — It wasn’t quite an “exit interview,“ but with just over six weeks remaining for the Biden administration, the Director of National Intelligence […] More
Before Confirming Tulsi Gabbard, the Senate Must Read the Fine Print
OPINION — “To say it changed my life was an understatement; just every day being confronted with that heavy human cost of war…I was the brigade’s […] More
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI): ‘Coordinated Orchestra’ or ‘Loveless Marriage’?
DEEP DIVE – The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) is a relatively recent addition to the institutional architecture of the U.S. Intelligence […] More
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
What a Future Russia House Must Look Like
Next month’s planned meeting between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to include conversations on Ukraine, COVID-19 and the recent […] More
First New Steps to Combatting Domestic Terrorism
Javed Ali held senior counterterrorism positions at DHS, the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the National Security Council. He is […] More
ODNI’s Threat Assessment: Leadership is Missing Element
Dr. Kenneth Dekleva served as a Regional Medical Officer/Psychiatrist (including 5 years at the U.S. Embassy Moscow, Russian Federation) with the U.S. Dept. of State […] More
The US Intelligence Community Needs a ‘Wild Bill’ Moment
Ellen McCarthy, Former Asst. Secretary of State for Intelligence & Research Cipher Brief Expert Ellen E. McCarthy was appointed by President Trump to be the […] More
A Worldwide Threats Hearing Guide from the Bleachers
As US Worldwide Threats hearings get underway in Washington after a two-year hiatus, experts will be watching to see how the Biden Administration’s new senior […] More
The Mission to Counter Misinformation: A Briefing with former DNI James Clapper
In the summer of 2016, then-Director of National Intelligence Lt. Gen. James Clapper began to detect a worrisome trend. It was an election year, and […] More
The US Intelligence Community’s Complicated Relationship with Telework
Jim Danoy, Former Executive, Defense Intelligence Agency Cipher Brief Expert Jim Danoy is a former defense intelligence executive and served as the National Intelligence Manager […] More
A New Tone for Avril Haines’ Intelligence Community
Walter Pincus is a contributing senior national security columnist for The Cipher Brief. He spent forty years at The Washington Post, writing on topics from […] More
What the Intelligence Community Doesn’t Know is Hurting the US
“The U.S. intelligence community must invest in understanding its own business model to make data-driven decisions for the future,” argue authors Katrina Mulligan, Cipher Brief […] More
Hovakimian’s Quest for Approval
OPINION – President Trump’s nominee for the top legal job in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Patrick Hovakimian, gave limited answers to […] More
Pandemics, Warning and the Intelligence Community
Cipher Brief Expert Jim Danoy is a retired defense intelligence executive and served as the National Intelligence Manager for Europe and NATO and a President’s […] More