OPINION — Israel’s Operation Rising Lion will go down as among the most impressive military campaigns in history. Military academies, military planners, and the Intelligence Community will study it for decades. More urgent, however, is that policymakers understand the importance of U.S. support in enabling Israel to advance our sharedContinue Reading
OPINION — “In the 12-month period ending in October 2024 [Fiscal Year 2024], 84,076 Americans died from a drug overdose, according to the most recent available provisional statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), underscoring the devastating effect these cartels have on our country. Although these numbersContinue Reading
OPINION — There has been an argument suggesting that the international community—particularly the United States—should engage with the Taliban to hold them accountable and ensure they do not return to the same path they followed before 9/11: providing safe sanctuaries to Al Qaeda and other international terrorist groups. Advocates ofContinue Reading
OPINION — For the past month, it was an onslaught of news and photos of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in meetings with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tianjin, China and then at the 80th anniversary military parade in Beijing celebrating the end of World WarContinue Reading
OPINION — In early 2024, the American public received a stark warning from top U.S. security officials. Chinese state-sponsored hackers, known as “Volt Typhoon,” had penetrated not just data repositories but embedded themselves deep within the control systems of U.S. critical infrastructure—including communication networks, energy grids, and water treatment facilities.Continue Reading
DEEP DIVE – The onslaught of cyberattacks against the U.S. and U.S. businesses has not let up and the clock is ticking on reauthorizing a new bill that – if not renewed – will make it even harder to defend against the threat. The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA), aContinue Reading
OPINION — You’ve probably seen that iconic photo of Senator Frank Church (D-ID) holding up a CIA poison dart gun, right? Or perhaps the one of Senator Barry Goldwater (R-AZ) aiming it at the sky? They came from the Church Committee’s live hearings on intelligence activities some fifty years ago,Continue Reading
OPINION — The war in Ukraine has evolved into a complex geopolitical conflict, shaped not only by military strategy but by global economic dependencies. While Western nations continue to provide financial and military aid, a critical vulnerability has emerged: Ukraine’s heavy reliance on Chinese drone components. The Ukrainian drone manufacturersContinue Reading
DEEP DIVE – From large-scale military drills to increased defense spending to the continent’s easternmost nations fortifying their borders with Russia, Europe is preparing for war. Under pressure from the U.S. and threats from Russia, most NATO member nations have pledged to spend 5% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP)Continue Reading
EXPERT Q&A — Russia has not slowed its assaults on Ukraine, ceaselessly raining missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities while pushing forward – albeit slowly – on the frontlines. Former Senior CIA Officer Glenn Corn got a firsthand account of how Ukraine is faring under fire, telling The CipherContinue Reading
OPINION — “Extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels that the United States has designated as terrorist organizations have wrought devastating consequences on American communities for decades, causing the deaths of tens of thousands of United States citizens each year and threatening our national security and foreign policy interests both at homeContinue Reading
Cipher Brief exclusive: Former six-time CIA station chief Ralph Goff details the status of the frontlines in Ukraine and where Kyiv needs the most help from its allies. EXPERT Q&A — The Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace this week underscores how far Russia is from the negotiating table andContinue Reading
EXPERT INTERVIEW – Polish President Karol Nowrocki signed a classified decree over the weekend allowing armed forces of NATO member states to be present in his country after Poland’s airspace was violated by an incursion of 19 Russian drones last week. Moscow’s incursion, which Western security experts see as aContinue Reading