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Doug Wise, Former Deputy Director, Defense Intelligence Agency Douglas H. Wise served as Deputy Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency from August 2014 until August 2016. Following 20 years of active duty in the Army where he served as an infantry and special operations officer, he spent the remainder of…

“The Cipher Brief has become the most popular outlet for former intelligence officers; no media outlet is even a close second to The Cipher Brief in terms of the number of articles published by formers.” – Sept. 2018, Studies in Intelligence, Vol. 62 No. Access all of The Cipher Brief’s national-security…

OPINION — In the 1942 Hollywood classic Casablanca, Ingrid Bergman, playing Ilsa Lund famously says, “Play it, Sam.” A little under a year later, the Casablanca Conference was held at the Anfa Hotel in Casablanca. Attending were the leaders of many of the Allied powers including U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt…

Bottom Line:  After a several-day hiatus brought about by a now-withdrawn Russian demand concerning relief from newly imposed Western sanctions, JCPOA talks appear ready to resume in Vienna.  The Wall Street Journal reports that negotiations are facing a remaining hurdle that could derail discussions.  At issue is the removal of terrorism…

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Immediately after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last month, the US government expelled 13 Russian diplomats working at the United Nations. It did so on the grounds they were Russian intelligence officers or operatives working under diplomatic cover. We do not know details about their alleged activities, but…

OPINION — Officers in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)’s Directorate of Operations (DO) have a penchant for action and readiness to serve in any circumstance. DO officers relish challenges, finding solutions to seemingly impossible tasks, and protecting America in the process. Retired DO officers still feel this tug to mission…