She Delivered Intelligence Briefs to Trump. Here’s Her Reality Check on the Iran Strikes.

A former top intelligence official weighs in on the war of words over Iran’s nuclear facilities and how intelligence assessments are supposed to happen.

The President’s Daily Brief: No Assembly Required?

New questions about the production - and consumption - of the President's Daily Brief

Challenging Biases and Assumptions in Analysis: Could Israel Have Averted Intelligence Failure?

The larger problem uncovered by the Signal scandal

Here is part of my take on SignalGate along with those of my friend and sometimes sparring partner, Gen. (ret.) Mark Kimmit. I might quibble with Mark's point that Hegseth can just declassify anything he wants, only to the point that there has to be a lot of paper work in doing so and everywhere that info appears online and on paper must then be made unclassified...BUT, BUT, BUT.... that would be missing the point that I think we both agree upon: the info in that chat should NOT have been in SIGNAL. I will hazard a guess that this isn't the first time SIGNAL has been MISused and contained classified/sensitive material. This should be a wake up call, not a circle-the-wagons moment. The right thing at this moment is to ensure that our comms are secure so that our adversaries cannot know what we’re doing and how we’re doing it.

How is War Fought in the Gray Zone? And what can the U.S. do about it?

In talks to business groups about geopolitics in recent months, I’ve been asking whether they believe we are at war. Most in the audience have voted yes. But if you asked the National Security Adviser, I’m fairly certain he would disagree, at least in the technical sense. This is in part political, because only Congress has the authority to formally declare war and, as hard as it is to believe, they haven’t done so since World War II.

The International Spy Museum

Now that President Trump has been inaugurated, what can we expect for the intelligence community?

Drone Sightings are a Reminder: US Needs Better Drone Defenses

What’s going on with all the drone sightings? That’s a question on the minds of residents in several northeastern states and – in recent days – top national security officials as well. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on Sunday that the federal government is investigating the sightings, and assured the public that there is no known threat or evidence of foreign involvement.

Memo to the President: A ‘Perfect Pressure Campaign’ Against Iran

MEMO TO THE PRESIDENT — Since Donald Trump’s victory in the November 5 election, The Cipher Brief has reached out to our network of experts for their thoughts on what the priorities ought to be for the second Trump administration. Our ask was straightforward: If you were given the opportunity of a short visit with the president during his first days in office, what message would you want to deliver?

CIA PDB Briefer to President Trump | Senior Intel Analyst | Beth Sanner

In this episode of Combat Story, we hear from Beth Sanner, a former senior CIA analyst and President's Daily Brief (PDB) briefer to President Trump. Beth previously served as the Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Mission Integration, the Director of the PDB and as Vice Chair of the National Intelligence Council.

After Resignation Of Israel’s Intelligence Chief, Will Other Heads Roll?

The human tragedy continuing to unfold in Gaza and Israel reminds us how important it is to get strategic forecasting right. While in no way excusing Hamas’ culpability for 7 October, we also cannot dismiss the fact that the failure to anticipate and prepare for such an attack has had grave consequences for communities on both sides of this conflict, undermined efforts to bring peace and prosperity to the region, and affected global interests through the expansion of the conflict to the Red Sea and potentially beyond.

Lessons From a White House Intelligence Briefer

On this episode of Horns of a Dilemma, former Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Mission Integration Beth Sanner delivers a candid and enriching lecture about being an intelligence professional at the highest level in the White House.

The Chinese Balloon Was a Necessary Wake-Up Call

The United States tends to react to unexpected events with a combination of fear, political recrimination, and bravado—not a particularly effective mix when it comes to evaluating and responding to potential crises.

Intelligence

Award-winning leadership in the Intelligence Community gives Beth the experience and insights to offer ways to improve America’s national security.