State Secrets

Russia's war against Ukraine is being fought on the battlefield, but another confrontation is unfolding across Europe. From drone incursions and sabotage operations to cyberattacks and threats against critical infrastructure, Moscow's expanding gray zone campaign is raising urgent questions about NATO's ability to respond. In this episode of  State Secrets , host Suzanne Kelly is joined by Dr. Jac...

A 10th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION of the State Secrets  Podcast  with Suzanne Kelly and Brad Christian as they share the behind-the-scenes stories from the past decade as  The Cipher Brief  prepares to host the Cipher Brief Threat Conference.  From a world where terrorism was front and center and AI was still a curiosity, to today's world, where China remains the pacing threat, and is buoyed by r...

In this episode of The Cipher Brief's State Secrets podcast, host Suzanne Kelly sits down with retired U.S. Army General Bryan Fenton, former commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, for a wide-ranging conversation about the changing character of war — and what the United States will need to stay ahead on the battlefield of the future. After 38 years in uniform and a career spent across the s...

In this episode of The Cipher Brief's State Secrets podcast, host Suzanne Kelly sits down with award-winning historian and bestselling author Simon Sebag Montefiore to discuss his new book,  The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East  — a sweeping history of roughly 125 years that traces how the region became what it is today. Drawing on a lifetime of research, writing and travel throughou...

America's adversaries are fighting a war designed to shape what people see, believe, share—and ultimately do. Russia, China and Iran are investing billions of dollars in influence operations intended to divide Americans, weaken alliances and alter real-world decisions, often without firing a shot. Artificial intelligence is now giving those campaigns unprecedented speed, scale and precision. In th...

Artificial intelligence, drones and commercial satellites are transforming the way intelligence is collected, analyzed and used — but as technology delivers answers faster than ever, how do intelligence professionals make sure those answers are actually right? In this episode of The Cipher Brief's State Secrets Podcast, Suzanne Kelly sits down with retired Vice Admiral Trey Whitworth, former Direc...

Iranian-American businessman Emad Shargi spent more than five years detained in Iran, enduring solitary confinement, brutal interrogations, a mock execution and a 10-year prison sentence after being accused of cooperating with the United States. Now, Shargi joins The Cipher Brief CEO & Publisher Suzanne Kelly to tell the extraordinary story of his arrest, imprisonment, attempted escape from Iran a...

Former CIA Director and retired U.S. Army Gen. David  Petraeus  joins The Cipher Brief CEO & Publisher Suzanne Kelly for a wide-ranging conversation about the wars reshaping the global security landscape — and why the United States needs to fundamentally rethink how it prepares for the conflicts of the future. From the war with Iran and Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine to China's military calc...

Artificial intelligence is transforming cyber warfare - and former NSA Director and U.S. Cyber Command Commander Gen. Paul Nakasone says the speed of that transformation demands a new approach to America's defense. In this episode of The Cipher Brief's State Secrets podcast, Suzanne Kelly sits down with Gen. Nakasone to discuss how AI is reshaping offensive and defensive cyber operations - and why...

Recorded on location in Kyiv, Rear Admiral (Ret.) Mark Montgomery joins Suzanne Kelly for a timely State Secrets conversation on how Ukraine is reshaping the future of warfare. Editor's Note: We caught up with Rear Admiral (Ret.) Mark Montgomery in Kyiv just as President Zelensky announced the firing of former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, prompting a wave of protests. Since this interview wa...

Speaking from the NATO summit in Ankara, Nick Fishwick assesses the alliance's most urgent challenges, from Europe's push to increase defense spending to the need for greater intelligence sharing and military interoperability. He explains why a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine remains unlikely, what NATO is learning from Ukraine's battlefield innovation, and why Russia continues to repre...

The battlefield is changing faster than most governments can adapt. In this episode of  State Secrets , Cipher Brief CEO Suzanne Kelly sits down with retired General Phil Breedlove, former Supreme Allied Commander Europe, to examine how drones, artificial intelligence and autonomous systems are transforming modern warfare—and what that means for U.S. national security. Drawing on lessons from Ukra...

How will wars be fought in the next decade—and is the United States prepared? In this exclusive conversation, The Cipher Brief CEO Suzanne Kelly sits down with General David Petraeus to examine the sweeping transformation reshaping modern warfare. Drawing on his repeated visits to Ukraine alongside The Cipher Brief, General Petraeus argues that the battlefield has changed more dramatically in the...

What happens when one of Hollywood's most influential futurists sits down with a former NSA Director? In this special State Secrets conversation, Ronald D. Moore—the creator behind For All Mankind , Battlestar Galactica , and Star Trek —joins former NSA and U.S. Cyber Command Commander Gen. Timothy Haugh to explore the increasingly blurred line between science fiction and national security reality...

America's national security challenges are evolving faster than ever—and the traditional defense innovation system is struggling to keep pace. In this episode of State Secrets, Cipher Brief CEO Suzanne Kelly sits down with two of the most influential voices in defense innovation: Steve Blank, creator of the Lean Startup methodology and co-founder of Hacking for Defense, and Pete Newell, retired Ar...

What happens when artificial intelligence, climate disruption, geopolitical rivalry, and information warfare collide? In this episode of the State Secrets Podcast, Cipher Brief CEO Suzanne Kelly sits down with retired Admiral James  Stavridis  and bestselling author and former Marine Eliot Ackerman to discuss their new novel,  2084 —the final installment in their acclaimed trilogy that began with ...

What does it take to make a modern espionage thriller feel real? In this episode of State Secrets, Suzanne Kelly sits down with acclaimed director Andrew Bernstein to discuss Jack Ryan: Ghost War — the new feature-length installment of the iconic franchise that brings shadow conflict, intelligence operations, and geopolitical tension into sharp focus. Bernstein — whose work includes The Americans...

Former Australian Signals Directorate Director-General Rachel  Noble  joins State Secrets with Suzanne Kelly for a rare insider's look at the cyber battles shaping modern national security. From China's targeting of critical infrastructure to Russia, Iran, AI-enabled threats, offensive cyber operations and the power of the Five Eyes alliance,  Noble  explains why the next conflict may already be u...

Jennifer Ewbank dives deep into how algorithmic manipulation and AI are reshaping the battlefield of information.   As threats evolve, our understanding of them must too. The convergence of technology and tactics is unprecedented, and it's vital to recognize the implications of this industrialized production of misinformation. The developments in AI could be a game-changer, enabling us to identify...

The reported deaths of two CIA officers in Mexico have sparked questions, sharp reactions, and widespread speculation. But what really happened - and what does it reveal about how U.S. intelligence operates in one of the world's most complex threat environments? In this in-depth conversation, Cipher Brief CEO Suzanne Kelly speaks with Ralph Goff, a six-time CIA station chief, who brings rare, firs...

What does "success" look like in a conflict with Iran - and what comes next? In this in-depth conversation, General David Petraeus joins The Cipher Brief's Suzanne Kelly to unpack the military and strategic realities shaping today's most consequential conflicts. From the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz to the unresolved risks around Iran's nuclear program, Petraeus explains what's at...

In this episode of  State Secrets , former CIA Senior Operations Officer Sean Wiswesser examines the evolution of Russian intelligence - from Soviet-era tradecraft to modern hybrid warfare. He unpacks Moscow's strategic mindset, its transactional relationships with partners like Iran, and its enduring focus on weakening democratic systems. With insights drawn from decades in the field, Wiswesser e...

A mass-casualty attack at Sydney's Bondi Beach in December 2025 shattered assumptions about the decline of ISIS - and raised urgent questions about what comes next. In this episode of State Secrets, Suzanne Kelly speaks with terrorism experts Levi West and Andrew Zammit to unpack what made this attack different: months of planning, coordinated tactics, and a clear alignment with evolving ISIS stra...

Washington Post columnist and bestselling novelist  David Ignatius  joins  State Secrets  to reflect on more than five decades covering intelligence, war, and global power. In this conversation with Suzanne Kelly, Ignatius shares his perspective on what he calls a potentially historic moment in U.S. conflict with Iran and explains why today's battles increasingly unfold in the gray zone - from cyb...

Investor   Gilman Louie has spent much of his career focused on future national security.  Tapped by former CIA Director George Tenet to be the first CEO of the Agency 's venture capital arm and later becoming an advisor and venture capital investor, Louie has spent decades working to identify the technologies that will ensure future national security.  He told State Secrets podcast host Suzanne K...