The Cipher Brief

2 weeks ago | thecipherbrief.com | Tom Nagorski

DEEP DIVE – China’s military is in the midst of an innovation and manufacturing boom in drone weaponry — a “leap forward,” as one expert put it, that seeks to outpace the U.S. and prepare Beijing for a potential war over Taiwan.

1 month ago | thecipherbrief.com | Walter Pincus

Posted: May 27th, 2025 OPINION — “There are few things you can do that are more gratifying and more satisfying, and when you look back, being able to say that maybe, you made a difference in keeping the nation [the U.S.] safer or the nation better off.”That was Robert M. Gates, who served as both U.S. Secretary of Defense and CIA Director, speaking to CBS News’ Face the Nation on May 18.

1 month ago | thecipherbrief.com | Suzanne Kelly

May 23rd, 2025 IN THIS WEEK’S DEAD DROP RUMINT FILE: The NSA may have a new Deputy Director very soon and that could be followed by a new NSA director being named with only one hat as the debate over splitting NSA from Cyber Command continues on the Hill; CIA Deputy Director Michael Ellis could be on the move as well; Why doesn’t the president like the President’s Daily Brief; West Point honors former USSOCOM Commander General Joe Votel (Ret.); and if you think foreign espionage is bad in the...

1 month ago | thecipherbrief.com | Tom Nagorski

Poland has won praise for its military, and for “getting Russia right”  Posted: May 21st, 2025 EXPERT INTERVIEWS – Sunday’s presidential election in Poland, and the country’s growing role in NATO, have put a fresh focus on Poland as a critical part of European efforts to defend the continent against Russian aggression.

1 month ago | thecipherbrief.com | Walter Pincus

OPINION – “[Russian President Vladimir] Putin almost certainly is committed to victory in Ukraine, and his objectives remain mostly unchanged since the beginning of the war: Ukrainian neutrality and a further partition of theUkrainian state.