Today's Open Source Report: Ukraine, Russia, China, the Middle East, cyber threats, and the latest national security developments—distilled by The Cipher Brief's expert team. Read smarter. Stay ahead. www.thecipherbrief.com/report/globa...

Global Intelligence Report for Monday, August 3, 2026

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America's adversaries aren't waiting for the next war. They believe they're already fighting one. China. Russia. Iran. Different tactics. One strategy: wear down U.S. power over time—below the threshold of open conflict. www.thecipherbrief.com/endless-warf...

Endless Warfare – Part II: Countering Endless Warfare and its Networks

Winning tomorrow’s conflicts means countering the persistent networks, cognitive warfare, and gray-zone strategies already targeting America today.

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The Cipher Brief's Global Intelligence Report for Wednesday, July 8, 2026 www.thecipherbrief.com/report/globa...

Colombia’s election marks a rightward shift, but not a settled mandate. David Fitzgerald examines the security, economic, and political challenges facing Abelardo de la Espriella. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/colombias-election-exposes-a-country-still-split?share_id=9702442

NATO arrives in Ankara facing its toughest security environment in decades. Can the alliance stay united as the threats multiply?

What's at Stake as NATO Meets in Ankara

Russia, Ukraine, defense spending, and the Middle East dominate an alliance searching for unity at one of its most consequential summits in decades.

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Normandy is more than history. Dave Pitts explains why the lessons of D-Day, from leadership and alliances to the human side of war, remain as relevant today as they were in 1944. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/reflections-from-normandy?share_id=9689876

It's been a busy weekend in Nat Sec News. Here's what's happened since Friday afternoon.

Global Intelligence Report for Sunday, June 28, 2026

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Iran cannot be trusted to enrich uranium. Ambassador Joseph DeTrani argues the next nuclear deal must begin with one non-negotiable principle: no domestic enrichment. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/dont-permit-iran-to-enrich-uranium?share_id=9665789

The next DNI’s challenge is building an Intelligence Community for 2045. Renee Novakoff explains how. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/dni-day-two-building-the-intelligence-community-for-2045?share_id=9655273

As negotiations to end the war drag on, Middle East and Energy Expert Norm Roule explains why missiles, mines, cyber operations may define the next phase of the crisis. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/what-iran-wants-and-how-it-can-still-fight?share_id=9649398

New intelligence shows Cuba has significantly upgraded its ability to monitor U.S. communications and military activity. The implications extend far beyond Havana. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/cubas-new-spy-array?share_id=9647387

President Trump says he stopped bombing Iran because the costs were becoming too high.Columnist Walter Pincus examines the costs, both obvious and hidden that could dictate the coming months. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/from-bombing-iran-to-negotiating-trump-explains-his-red-line?share_id=9647443

This wasn’t a peace deal. It may be something more important: a system for preventing escalation. Arvid Bell and Chip Usher explain. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/deal-should-not-have-happened?share_id=9647449

Matt Stern argues America’s cyber laws punish attackers after the damage is done—and leave defenders powerless when it matters most. Read more in The Cipher Brief. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/cyber-policy-failure-congress-refuses-to-address?share_id=9629710

Can the Intelligence Community evolve fast enough for the AI and space age? Former senior intelligence leaders Shelby Pierson and Renee Novakoff outline three critical decisions facing the next DNI—from bureaucracy and budgets to strategic competition with China, Russia, and Iran.

DNI Day One: Three Strategic Decisions for National Security Evolution

The next Director of National Intelligence will inherit an intelligence enterprise confronting AI-driven disruption, strategic competition, and mounting resource pressures. Shelby Pierson and Renee Novakoff examine three critical decisions that will shape the future of the Intelligence Community.

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The problem is not that intelligence agencies fail to see threats. The problem is that leaders often fail to act on the warnings they receive. Read the full analysis at The Cipher Brief. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/why-correct-intelligence-often-fails?share_id=9618747

Russian influence operations didn’t begin in 2016—and they aren’t ending anytime soon. Read the full piece at The Cipher Brief. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/russia-escalate-its-attacks-democracies?share_id=9598307

The Pentagon’s innovation overhaul was billed as more than a reorganization. The real test is whether the new system can deliver before competitors gain further ground. Read the full analysis from Joey Gagnard in The Cipher Brief.

Can the Pentagon’s New Innovation System Deliver?

Five months after Secretary Hegseth's sweeping innovation overhaul, the Pentagon's new acquisition architecture is beginning to take shape—but key questions about execution, speed, and strategic impact remain.

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What if war no longer has a clear beginning or end? Part I of this series explores the concept of “Endless Warfare” and how Iran, Russia, and China are reshaping the character of modern conflict.

How America’s Adversaries Compete Across Peace and War

Rather than seeking decisive battlefield victory, U.S. adversaries are using long-term pressure campaigns to erode American power, autonomy, and resolve.

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This Memorial Day, we remember the Americans who quietly volunteered to stand with Ukraine after Russia’s invasion — not for recognition, but because conscience demanded it. Some never came home. Their stories deserve to be told. 🇺🇸🇺🇦

The Americans Who Made Ukraine’s War Their Own

This Memorial Day, The Cipher Brief is focusing on Americans who answered an unsettling call after Russia launched its unprovoked, deadly attack on Ukraine in February of 2022. What follows is a deeply personal account of the war through the eyes of two Americans who have lived it. This piece was wr

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Trump’s Beijing summit produced few clear deliverables - but it gave Xi Jinping something valuable: a global stage to project China as America’s equal. Two Cipher Brief experts assess what the summit revealed about U.S.-China competition, Taiwan, AI and Beijing’s growing confidence.

“The G-2”: Takeaways from Trump's Trip to Beijing

The Beijing summit offered a display of diplomatic stability, but beneath the choreography, China pressed its claim to equal status and kept the pressure on Taiwan.

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Iran doesn’t need to cripple the U.S. grid to create pressure. Small disruptions at scale can erode public confidence without crossing military red lines. Read more.

Iran's Digital War Machine Targeting U.S. Infrastructure

Despite strikes on Iranian command centers, Tehran’s cyber operators continue targeting U.S. healthcare, energy, water, and government systems through dispersed networks and proxy groups.

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No major deals. No breakthrough on Iran. No movement on Ukraine. Yet Xi may have achieved what mattered most: Images of equality with a U.S. president, staged among 1,000-year-old trees inside Zhongnanhai. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/the-symbolism-behind-the-trump-xi-summit?share_id=9509891

In The Cipher Brief, Sean M. Wiswesser examines the threat of Sino-Russian opportunism, intelligence miscalculation, and the risk of parallel crises from the Baltics to Taiwan. Read the full analysis at The Cipher Brief. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/the-bear-and-the-dragon?share_id=9493399

The Pentagon has the money. The defense tech sector has the tools. But Joey Gagnard argues the real question is whether America’s procurement system can move fast enough to matter. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/a-bridge-too-small-why-49-billion-cant-fix-a-1-5-trillion-problem?share_id=9493432

The article examines the psychological dynamics between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping ahead of a summit that could reshape global politics.

When a Charismatic and a Machiavellian Meet

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The frontline of national security no longer stops at government systems. It now runs directly through corporate networks, cloud infrastructure, and supply chains. Read more. https://www.thecipherbrief.com/corporate-cybersecurity-is-the-new-frontline-of-national-security?share_id=9469248

Inside the Pentagon’s High-Stakes Nuclear Overhaul https://www.thecipherbrief.com/inside-the-pentagons-high-stakes-nuclear-overhaul?share_id=9461795

Latin America’s leftward shift is hitting economic and political limits. From Colombia to Venezuela, rising crime, inflation, and U.S. pressure are reshaping the hemisphere’s strategic landscape.

From Socialist Surge to Regional Realignment- Latin America’s Pink Tide Is Receding

From Colombia to Venezuela, the balance of power in Latin America is changing fast.

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North Korea is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal - new enrichment sites, advanced ICBMs, & possible Russian tech support. Experts warn: Pyongyang is moving from deterrence to warfighting capability. Is the U.S. missing this threat?

That Other Nuclear Nightmare: North Korea Sounds New Alarms

Experts say a whole new approach is needed to deal with Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal

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