Walter Pincus

Washington, D.C.

Columnist for The Cipher Brief after 40+ years with The Washington Post. Taught at Yale and Stanford. Author of book "Blown To Hell," about U.S. nuclear testing

Articles

Trump’s Dangerous Game with El Salvador

3 days ago | thecipherbrief.com | Walter Pincus

Posted: April 22nd, 2025 OPINION – “We have offered the United States of America the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system. We are willing to take in only convicted criminals (including convicted U.S. citizens) into our mega-prison (CECOT) in exchange for a fee.
In Hegseth Panama Visit, Reading the 'Untranslated' Comments

1 week ago | thecipherbrief.com | Walter Pincus

Posted: April 15th, 2025 OPINION — “Together with Panama in the lead, we will keep the canal secure and available for all nations through the deterrent power of the strongest, most effective and most lethal fighting force in the world. We will do this in partnership with Panama. Together we will take back the Panama Canal from China’s influence, and we will do this along with other capable like-minded allies and partners.
What A U.S. Commander’s Testimony Tells Us About Russia’s War on Ukraine

2 weeks ago | thecipherbrief.com | Walter Pincus

Posted: April 8th, 2025 OPINION — “The Russian economy has been both bolstered and distorted by this war. Specifically, the Russian government has had to turbo-charge their defense sector and in so doing they have created very strong inflationary pressures throughout the economy, but especially in the civil sector. They’ve responded to that with high interest rates to hold inflation down.
If It’s Trump v. Greenland’s Leaders, I’m Betting on Greenland

3 weeks ago | thecipherbrief.com | Walter Pincus

Posted: April 1st, 2025 OPINION — “We respect that the United States needs a greater military presence in Greenland, as Vice President Vance mentioned this evening [last Friday]. We – Denmark and Greenland – are very much open to discussing this with you, with an open mind. We still have the [Greenland] defense agreement [between the United States and Denmark] from 1951.
The World According to Trump and Putin

1 month ago | thecipherbrief.com | Walter Pincus

Posted: March 25th, 2025 OPINION — “Concerning U.S. President’s proposal to declare a 30-day ceasefire, the Russian side [President Vladimir Putin] outlined a number of significant points regarding ensuring effective control over a possible ceasefire along the entire frontline, as well as the need to stop the forced mobilization in Ukraine and rearming the Armed Forces of Ukraine…It was pointed out [by Putin] that a complete cessation of providing Kiev with foreign military aid and...
Could Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ Lead to Nuclear Weapons in Space?

1 month ago | thecipherbrief.com | Walter Pincus

OPINION — “The only time I can think of any history of the United States where we have gone after something this complex [President Trump’s “Golden Dome” for America – a new, space-based missile defense system] is the Manhattan Project [which developed the first atomic bombs]. That is how complex this capability is going to be. I want to tell you, it is not only complex because of technology.
Trump’s Threats to Take Over Greenland Are Offensive – and Unnecessary

1 month ago | thecipherbrief.com | Walter Pincus

Posted: March 11th, 2025 OPINION — “I also have a message tonight for the incredible people of Greenland (laughter in audience). We strongly support your right to determine your own future. And, if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America. We need Greenland for national security and even international world security. We are working with everybody involved to try to get it….And I think we’re going to get it.
Getting to Know the Next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

1 month ago | thecipherbrief.com | Walter Pincus

OPINION — “Working in the CIA is a little bit like Fight Club…but the one thing I can say is, you know, they [CIA officers] are just like in our service [the Air Force] and within the [Defense Department] Joint Force. There are world class professionals over there [at CIA] every single day getting after it in ways that we can’t even imagine. And the honor and privilege of serving with each of them is very near and dear to me…And I still feel that way after three years in that job.
Missing in Musk's DOGE Operation: Transparency

1 month ago | thecipherbrief.com | Walter Pincus

OPINION — “Well, we actually are trying to be as transparent as possible. In fact, we post our actions to the DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency] handle on X and to the DOGE website. So, all of our actions are maximally transparent.”That was Elon Musk, speaking from the Oval Office on February 11. In fact, Musk’s DOGE operation may be the least transparent, federal-government-wide activity ever undertaken.
JD Vance’s Munich Speech Played Loose with Facts

2 months ago | thecipherbrief.com | Walter Pincus

OPINION — “This December, Romania straight up cancelled the results of a presidential election based on the flimsy suspicions of an intelligence agency and enormous pressure from its continental neighbors. Now, as I understand it, the argument was that Russian disinformation had infected the Romanian elections. But I’d ask my European friends to have some perspective. You can believe it’s wrong for Russia to buy social media advertisements to influence your elections. We certainly do.