The Cipher Brief
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The Cipher Brief is the only media outlet focused exclusively on bringing you a higher level of confidence around national security events via news, analysis, and interviews with government and private sector leaders.
Ukraine’s new FP-5 “Flamingo” missile is being hailed as a potential game changer — long-range, heavy payload, and made in Ukraine. But can it really shift the war’s trajectory? A deep dive into the promise and limits of Kyiv’s newest weapon.
Can a “Flamingo” Cruise Missile Help Ukraine Turn the Tide?
A new Ukrainian-made missile has raised expectations about the next phase of the war
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November 17, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Ukraine’s new FP-5 “Flamingo” missile is being hailed as a potential game changer — long-range, heavy payload, and made in Ukraine. But can it really shift the war’s trajectory? A deep dive into the promise and limits of Kyiv’s newest weapon.
Global Intelligence Report for Monday, November 17, 2025
Global Intelligence Report for Monday, November 17, 2025
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November 17, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Global Intelligence Report for Monday, November 17, 2025
Global Intelligence Report for Sunday, November 16, 2025
Global Intelligence Report for Sunday, November 16, 2025
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November 16, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Global Intelligence Report for Sunday, November 16, 2025
Cybercriminals are faster, smarter, and more organized—thanks to AI. INTERPOL’s cybercrime chief explains how the world’s largest police organization is fighting back through intelligence sharing, global cooperation, and law enforcement training.
Interpol’s Cybercrime Chief on How AI is Driving Borderless Cyber Threats
The Cipher Brief spoke with Dr. Neal Jetton, the Cybercrime Director of Interpol, to discuss how the world’s largest international police organization is taking on the threat. Speaking from last month’s Global Cybersecurity Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dr. Jetton said Interpol-driven efforts like
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November 14, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Cybercriminals are faster, smarter, and more organized—thanks to AI. INTERPOL’s cybercrime chief explains how the world’s largest police organization is fighting back through intelligence sharing, global cooperation, and law enforcement training.
Hezbollah is quietly rearming in Lebanon, fueled by Iran’s shadowy networks. Drones, rockets, and finances are being rebuilt — raising stakes for Lebanon, Israel and the region.
Hezbollah’s Quiet Rebuild: Iran’s Shadowy Lifeline and the Gathering Storm on Israel’s Northern Flank
DEEP DIVE — Tucked deep into the cragged hills of southern Lebanon, Hezbollah, the once powerful Iranian-backed militia brought to its knees by a war with Israel, has spent the past year meticulously gouging its way back to relevancy.
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November 14, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Hezbollah is quietly rearming in Lebanon, fueled by Iran’s shadowy networks. Drones, rockets, and finances are being rebuilt — raising stakes for Lebanon, Israel and the region.
Global Intelligence Report for Friday, November 14, 2025
Global Intelligence Report for Friday, November 14, 2025
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November 14, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Global Intelligence Report for Friday, November 14, 2025
A former U.S. ambassador to Venezuela on what the U.S. goals may be with the military buildup in the Caribbean. #maduro #counternarcotics #geraldford
Understanding the U.S. Military Mobilization in the Caribbean
Early in 2025, shortly after taking office, the Trump administration designated several drug cartels as terrorist organizations. This signaled the administration’s intention to escalate U.S. efforts to fight trafficking beyond the usual efforts of the Coast Guard, Drug Enforcement Administration and
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November 13, 2025 at 1:42 PM
A former U.S. ambassador to Venezuela on what the U.S. goals may be with the military buildup in the Caribbean. #maduro #counternarcotics #geraldford
Assessing the Pentagon’s Mission to Rebuild the ‘Arsenal of Freedom'
Assessing the Pentagon’s Mission to Rebuild the ‘Arsenal of Freedom'
The core argument: if the U.S. wants to deter adversaries in today’s world of fast-moving threats that include gray-zone coercion, contested logistics and AI-enabled systems, it must accept more acquisition risk as a means to reduce operational risk later.
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November 13, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Assessing the Pentagon’s Mission to Rebuild the ‘Arsenal of Freedom'
How America Can Balance Legal Migration with Strong National Security https://www.thecipherbrief.com/immigration-national-security?share_id=9049104
November 12, 2025 at 4:27 PM
How America Can Balance Legal Migration with Strong National Security https://www.thecipherbrief.com/immigration-national-security?share_id=9049104
Global Intelligence Report for Wednesday, November 12, 2025
Global Intelligence Report for Wednesday, November 12, 2025
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November 12, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Global Intelligence Report for Wednesday, November 12, 2025
A Cultural Autopsy of the Soviet Legacy - A Review of The Dark Side of the Earth: Russia’s Short-lived Victory over Totalitarianism by Mikhail Zygar
A Cultural Autopsy of the Soviet Legacy
Book Review: The Dark Side of the Earth: Russia’s Short-lived Victory over Totalitarianism
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November 11, 2025 at 9:27 PM
A Cultural Autopsy of the Soviet Legacy - A Review of The Dark Side of the Earth: Russia’s Short-lived Victory over Totalitarianism by Mikhail Zygar
Trump’s talk of new “nuclear testing” rattled allies and adversaries. But is the U.S. already testing — just not the way he thinks? Walter Pincus explains what’s really happening beneath the Nevada desert. #nuclear #natsec https://www.thecipherbrief.com/nuclear-testing?share_id=9047450
November 11, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Trump’s talk of new “nuclear testing” rattled allies and adversaries. But is the U.S. already testing — just not the way he thinks? Walter Pincus explains what’s really happening beneath the Nevada desert. #nuclear #natsec https://www.thecipherbrief.com/nuclear-testing?share_id=9047450
As Sudan’s civil war grinds into its third year, foreign states are arming rival militias, fueling one of Africa’s worst humanitarian crises and reshaping the balance of power across the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa.
Sudan’s War Without Borders: How Global Powers Turned Darfur into a Proxy Battleground
As Sudan’s civil war grinds into its third year, foreign states are arming rival militias, fueling one of Africa’s worst humanitarian crises and reshaping the balance of power across the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa.
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November 11, 2025 at 2:29 PM
As Sudan’s civil war grinds into its third year, foreign states are arming rival militias, fueling one of Africa’s worst humanitarian crises and reshaping the balance of power across the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa.
Global Intelligence Report for Tuesday, November 11, 2025
Global Intelligence Report for Tuesday, November 11, 2025
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November 11, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Global Intelligence Report for Tuesday, November 11, 2025
AI-powered drone swarms that “think” and act together could transform warfare. As China, Ukraine, and the U.S. race to deploy them, experts warn: the future battlespace may belong to machines that no longer need us. #natsec #defense
The Brave New World of Drone Swarms
AI-driven drones that “talk to each other” will change warfare and threaten the homeland
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November 10, 2025 at 5:27 PM
AI-powered drone swarms that “think” and act together could transform warfare. As China, Ukraine, and the U.S. race to deploy them, experts warn: the future battlespace may belong to machines that no longer need us. #natsec #defense
Global Intelligence Report for Monday, November 10, 2025
Global Intelligence Report for Monday, November 10, 2025
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November 10, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Global Intelligence Report for Monday, November 10, 2025
Central Europe Survives: A Battlefield of Ideas Still Unfolding Today - A review of Luka Ivan Jukic's sweeping chronicle of Central Europe
Central Europe Survives: A Battlefield of Ideas Still Unfolding Today
BOOK REVIEW: Central Europe: The Death of a Civilization and the Life of an Idea
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November 7, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Central Europe Survives: A Battlefield of Ideas Still Unfolding Today - A review of Luka Ivan Jukic's sweeping chronicle of Central Europe
Retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward argues that America’s national defense depends on trust between government and industry. Retroactive lawsuits against federal contractors could cripple that bond—and weaken U.S. military readiness when it’s needed most. #natsec #energy
America’s Next National Security Crisis: A War on Its Own Energy Base
OPINION — Every mission begins with trust. In World War II, the U.S. government trusted private energy producers to deliver aviation gasoline at record scale, and those companies trusted Washington to stand behind them. That compact powered victory. Breaking it now with retroactive lawsuits betrays
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November 7, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward argues that America’s national defense depends on trust between government and industry. Retroactive lawsuits against federal contractors could cripple that bond—and weaken U.S. military readiness when it’s needed most. #natsec #energy
Can High-Tech “Sensor Fusion” Revolutionize Biosurveillance?
Can High-Tech “Sensor Fusion” Revolutionize Biosurveillance?
Some experts believe they have a way to fight bioterrorism – and the next pandemic.
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November 7, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Can High-Tech “Sensor Fusion” Revolutionize Biosurveillance?
Global Intelligence Report for Friday, November 7, 2025
Global Intelligence Report for Friday, November 7, 2025
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November 7, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Global Intelligence Report for Friday, November 7, 2025
From nuclear sub cooperation with Seoul to new supply chain deals with Tokyo, President Trump’s East Asia trip strengthened U.S. alliances and advanced deterrence in the region, according to Ambassador Joseph DeTrani. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/trump-east-asia?share_id=9042015
November 6, 2025 at 4:36 PM
From nuclear sub cooperation with Seoul to new supply chain deals with Tokyo, President Trump’s East Asia trip strengthened U.S. alliances and advanced deterrence in the region, according to Ambassador Joseph DeTrani. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/trump-east-asia?share_id=9042015
Global Intelligence Report for Thursday, November 6, 2025
Global Intelligence Report for Thursday, November 6, 2025
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November 6, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Global Intelligence Report for Thursday, November 6, 2025
From fake AI personas to stolen military logins, identity fraud has become a new weapon of war. Experts warn that synthetic identities now threaten U.S. critical infrastructure and intelligence systems in this new frontline of national security. #Cyber #AI
A New Frontline: How Digital Identity Fraud Redefines National Security Threats
AI-driven deception and synthetic identities are transforming espionage and cyberwarfare
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November 5, 2025 at 5:21 PM
From fake AI personas to stolen military logins, identity fraud has become a new weapon of war. Experts warn that synthetic identities now threaten U.S. critical infrastructure and intelligence systems in this new frontline of national security. #Cyber #AI
Realism and Rivals: A Review of David McCloskey's The Persian
#intelligence #espionage #Iran #Israel
#intelligence #espionage #Iran #Israel
Realism and Rivals: McCloskey’s The Persian Rings True
BOOK REVIEW: The Persian: A Novel
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November 5, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Realism and Rivals: A Review of David McCloskey's The Persian
#intelligence #espionage #Iran #Israel
#intelligence #espionage #Iran #Israel
Global Intelligence Report for Wednesday, November 5, 2025
Global Intelligence Report for Wednesday, November 5, 2025
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November 5, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Global Intelligence Report for Wednesday, November 5, 2025