Russia’s spy playbook never went away - it evolved. From chalk marks and dead drops to encrypted “spets-svyaz,” adversaries are operating in plain sight across NATO nations. The signals are subtle. The threat is not. Vigilance is no longer optional. Read more. Stay ahead. Become a Subscriber+.

Iran isn’t closing the Strait of Hormuz - it’s controlling it. A new “permission economy” is emerging, where Tehran decides which ships pass and which don’t - reshaping global energy flows, alliances, and risk calculations in real time. Read more:

A potential U.S. operation inside Iran. Russia allegedly helping Tehran target U.S. assets. A shift on Cuba sanctions. And NASA’s moon mission getting real. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/report/global-intelligence-report-for-monday-march-30-2026?share_id=9319797

Ukraine turned necessity into innovation - and now the world is paying attention. Battle-tested, low-cost drone tech is exposing the limits of billion-dollar defense systems and reshaping how wars are fought. From Kyiv to the Gulf, the future of air defense is already here. Read more ⬇️

A deal with the devil? The U.S. is working with figures it once targeted to stabilize Venezuela after Maduro’s removal - betting on short-term control while deeper threats linger. How risky is the strategy? Read more ⬇️ #NationalSecurity #Venezuela #Geopolitics

Adversaries don’t need to outbuild the U.S. they just need to exploit its internal weaknesses. A new perspective on national security. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/national-security-starts-at-home?share_id=9292158

The goal isn’t to convince you what’s true. It’s to make you believe nothing is. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/when-deepfakes-become-doctrine?share_id=9291987

From the Suez Crisis to Iraq to today, NATO has faced deeper divisions—and endured. Why today’s tensions may signal evolution, not collapse. Read more. #Defense #Transatlantic https://www.thecipherbrief.com/natos-fractures-not-its-end?share_id=9291960

Zelensky’s message: Ukraine has something the world needs. Now it’s using that leverage to strengthen alliances. Read more. #Geopolitics #Security

As calls for diplomacy grow, one former intelligence official argues the roots of this conflict go back decades. Read the full piece. #ForeignPolicy #Security https://www.thecipherbrief.com/terror-in-iran?share_id=9291339

Millions of drones are coming to U.S. airspace. But local authorities lack the tools and authority to manage them. Read more. #Drones #NationalSecurity https://www.thecipherbrief.com/american-drones?share_id=9291100

Geopolitics is driving markets today, from Middle East tensions to shifting trade signals. Catch the latest risks and opportunities in today’s OSR. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/report/global-intelligence-report-for-monday-march-23-2026?share_id=9290790

Why the Pakistan–Afghanistan conflict is the crisis policymakers aren’t paying enough attention to. Read the full analysis by Siddhant Kishore.

Global Intelligence Report for Thursday, March 19, 2026. Check out the top stories.

Weakened, fragmented, but still dangerous. Iran’s regional network is shifting as groups balance survival, politics, and militancy. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/irans-axis-of-resistance?share_id=9275015

What if analysts could search the globe with a sentence from an intelligence report? A new proposal argues that a multi-modal GEOINT foundation model could transform how the U.S. detects threats and understands the world. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/multi-modal-foundation-model?share_id=9274463

“Digital Dominance” may be the key to future national power. Experts say the U.S. must rethink how it defends itself and operates in cyberspace. Read more. #Technology #Security #AI https://www.thecipherbrief.com/america-is-digitally-fragile?share_id=9274390

What happens if Iran continues to threaten shipping through the Strait of Hormuz? Norm Roule explains the coalition challenge, the military risks, and why the waterway matters to the global economy.

Global Intelligence Report for Monday, March 16, 2026

Global Intelligence Report for Wednesday, March 11, 2026

President Trump says the U.S. must quadruple production of advanced “exquisite class” weapons. The move reflects growing concerns about depleted missile and interceptor stockpiles. Read the full analysis. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/americas-exquisite-class-weapons-shortage?share_id=9237835

General Scott Miller (ret.), former Commander of U.S. Joint Special Operations Command is watching the indicators that matter most in the Middle East right now: drone interceptions, energy flows, regional actors, information warfare, and casualties. Read his piece in today’s Cipher Brief.

From Ukrainian quadcopters destroying tanks to Iranian drones across the Middle East, the spread of drone technology is reshaping modern warfare. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP via Getty Images)

Global Intelligence Report for Sunday, March 8, 2026

Iran’s response to U.S. and Israeli strikes reflects a long-standing doctrine of asymmetric warfare and ideological resilience. What does this mean for the future of the Abraham Accords and regional stability? https://www.thecipherbrief.com/iran-war-leadership?share_id=9226517

Global Intelligence Report for Thursday, March 5, 2026 https://www.thecipherbrief.com/report/global-intelligence-report-for-thursday-march-5-2026?share_id=9220907

The Strait of Hormuz is seizing up. After Operation Epic Fury, ~20% of global oil flows are frozen. 150+ tankers idle. Insurers pulling coverage. Full analysis for Subscriber+ Members. #StraitOfHormuz #EnergySecurity

After unprecedented U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, what comes next? Former National Intelligence Manager for Iran Norm Roule breaks down escalation risks, regime stability, and the signals experts should be watching.

Are we handing warfighters AI tools with the strategic safeties off? A former NGA Chief AI Officer argues that only rigorous, mission-specific testing can prevent a Red October moment in national security. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/breaking-down-our-red-october-moment-for-ai?share_id=9201419

Australia’s illicit tobacco trade may be a national security threat. New reporting links organized crime and alleged IRGC-backed attacks, raising urgent questions about the crime-terror nexus. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/australias-illicit-tobacco-market?share_id=9184640

The data tells a different story. Despite claims of momentum in Ukraine, Russia’s staggering casualties, economic strain, and technological decline suggest a costly war of attrition. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/russias-war-ukraine?share_id=9182403

Public service doesn’t begin and end with a federal job. From education and nonprofits to industry and international institutions, there are more paths than ever to serve. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/talent-pipeline?share_id=9182084

From narrative dominance to agentic AI, cognitive warfare is becoming a primary instrument of power. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/the-cognitive-battlefield-is-now-decisive-terrain?share_id=9182218

El Mencho is dead, but the cartel war is far from over. Experts say the CJNG will regroup as U.S.-Mexico intelligence cooperation deepens and corruption questions remain.

This expert analysis examines how Moscow’s gray zone playbook evolved from Crimea to Kyiv, and why its intelligence services misjudged their ability to win. Understanding those failures is essential to deterring future aggression. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/gray-zone-russia?share_id=9181398

Global Intelligence Report for Monday, February 23, 2026 https://www.thecipherbrief.com/report/global-intelligence-report-for-monday-february-23-2026?share_id=9181300

From Munich, Evelyn Farkas warns the transatlantic alliance faces a defining moment. Ukraine, U.S. credibility, and deterring China are now inseparable challenges. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/evelyn-farkas-on-alliances-ukraine-and-chinas-growing-challenge?share_id=9175099

The removal of Nicolás Maduro was supposed to trigger democratic transition. Instead, Venezuela’s intelligence networks and security hardliners remain firmly in power. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/washingtons-venezuelan-gamble-the-old-guards-continued-grip-on-power?share_id=9178771

The Defense Department has issued sweeping new counter-drone guidance, empowering commanders to defend U.S. installations beyond traditional perimeter limits. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/defending-the-homeland-pentagon-shifts-strategy-on-drone-threats?share_id=9170734

Cuba’s power grid collapse is doing more than plunging cities into darkness. It’s opening the door for China and Russia to expand intelligence operations just miles from U.S. military bases.

Today, as Washington debates the legality and precedent of operations like the seizure of Nicolás Maduro, Root’s warning feels newly relevant. This piece examines the difference between authority and dominance. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/monroe-doctrine-the-precedent-problem?share_id=9167082

As the USS Gerald R. Ford prepares to join the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East, the U.S. signals serious pressure on Tehran. Former National Intelligence Manager for Iran Norm Roule explains the risks and the diplomatic timeline.

The national security landscape is shifting rapidly. Nuclear treaties are expiring, AI is transforming warfare, and great power competition is accelerating. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/confidence-interoperability-and-the-limits-of-u-s-decision-systems?share_id=9166190

A personal story from inside the CIA: what an analyst learned after standing up to Aldrich Ames long before the world knew he was a traitor. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/standing-up-to-a-spy-my-run-in-with-aldrich-ames?share_id=9164168

Russia is plugging battlefield losses with recruits from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, with many lured by fake job promises and coerced into combat. When they go home, their countries inherit the consequences. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/russias-foreign-fighter-pipeline?share_id=9156285

How do you defend elections, outpace China, and manage AI without compromising your values? Former NSA Director Paul Nakasone weighs in on the next era of cybersecurity.

Global Intel Report for Fri, Feb 6. > US-Iran talks. GRU general shot in Moscow. U.S.–Russia military channel reopens. SpaceX ownership scrutiny. This is what strategic turbulence looks like. Today’s Report: fast, authoritative, no fluff

The era of economic neutrality is over. This analysis argues that U.S. investors now face a stark choice, either back American re-industrialization, or help China win the economic Cold War. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/us-china-economic-cold-war?share_id=9148582

From fake videos to Arctic posturing, Moscow is testing Western unity in the High North. Here’s why Greenland matters more than the headlines suggest. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/greenlands-worth-a-fight-and-russias-trying-to-start-one?share_id=9145934

Export controls were supposed to stop China. They may be making China stronger. The unintended consequences of America’s AI chip strategy, explained. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/export-controls-backfire-the-china-innovation-paradox?share_id=9147992