The West’s Weapons Problem: Growing Threats, Dwindling Stockpiles
SUBSCRIBER+EXCLUSIVE REPORTING — As the U.S. and NATO deepen their involvement in a pair of major global conflicts, western nations face a critical security challenge: […] More
National Security
What Might a CIA-tasked ‘Red Cell’ on China Tell us?
OPINION / EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — After 9/11, the Directorate of Intelligence (DI) at CIA created a ‘Red Cell’ that was given the mission of truly […] More
It’s Complicated: The Use of Race in Military Academy Submissions
OPINION — “We can’t blow past racial tension in the military…There have always been racial tensions in the military. They have lessened, but they are […] More
A Letter to Congress on the Impact of Section 702
[Ed note: The House of Representatives is considering the renewal of surveillance authorities this week that a number of former government officials say are critical […] More
The Latest
Section 702 Delivers Stronger U.S. National Security
OPINION — In 2011, I took command of our counter-terrorism forces, and the most prolific and dangerous threat we faced at that time came from […] More
Keep an Eye in the Sky for U.S. Missile Defense
OPINION — “We’ve looked extensively at the Ukraine conflict and I can tell you, the use of drones and how we’re seeing drones being utilized […] More
Foreign Criminals are Scamming Americans out of Billions of Dollars. Is it a National Security Threat?
OPINION — A new Gallup poll combined with a new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) estimate of fraud losses show that criminals are stealing tens or […] More
Generative AI for National Security
SPONSORED / OPINION — While the National Security community works to scale the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), generative AI has […] More
702 is the Spy Tool that Americans need now
OPINION — The Intelligence Community (IC), in a recent press release, said it will lose what it has “used every day to protect the nation […] More
China Needs to Pick Up the Phone as Trust Deficit Still Looms Large
OPINION — The Biden-Xi Summit of November 2023 was a step in the right direction. But it was only a step. Restoring military-to-military communications and […] More
Biden’s Plan for a New Nuclear Bomb
OPINION — “On October 27, the Department of Defense announced that the United States will pursue a modern variant of the B61 nuclear gravity bomb, […] More
Senator Tuberville: A One Man National Security Threat
OPINION — “For months, Senator [Tommy] Tuberville [R-Ala.] has said, if individual nominees are brought up for a vote one at a time, he will […] More
Information is the Most Important Tool in the new War for Truth
OPINION — The first step to winning a war is recognizing you’re in one. The world’s democracies are finally waking up to the waves of […] More
U.S. Military Recruiting Goes Back to School
OPINION — “First and foremost, the current recruitment crisis [in the U.S. Army] is nothing new. Indeed, it would be fair to say that since […] More
A Guide to Last Week’s Path to Potential Shutdown
OPINION — “Here on the House floor, we see when extreme MAGA (Make America Great Again), rightwing Republicans don’t get their way, when they lose […] More
Innovative Business Models Can Accelerate Tech for IC Missions
PRIVATE SECTOR PERSPECTIVE — The primacy of U.S. power is facing an unprecedented challenge: A strategic competition with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is […] More
The Ukraine Diaries: Is Ukraine a Vital U.S. National Security Interest?
The Ukraine Diaries is a series of personal writings by national security experts who joined The Cipher Brief’s recent visit to Kyiv as part of […] More
It’s Time for the West to Embrace Ukraine’s Way of War, Not Doubt It
OPINION — Ukrainian forces have adapted. Ukraine’s military decision-making is sound. Now is not the time for Western doubt but for the West to embrace […] More
Advantage in Space is Mission Critical
OPINION — “Operations to deny adversary hostile use of space could originate in any domain and target on-orbit, ground, cyber, and/or link segments to reduce […] More