Category: Intelligence

Testimony on Israel and the Middle East at a crossroads: How Tehran’s terror campaign threatens the US and our allies

Kirsten Fontenrose, nonresident senior fellow at the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative in the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Programs, testifies before the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs on how Tehran’s terror campaign threatens the US and allies. Below are her prepared remarks. Chairman Burchett, Ranking Member Phillips, and members of the Committee, thank you

Experts react: What’s behind the Hezbollah beeper and walkie-talkie explosions

Beep, beep, boom. Thousands were injured and dozens killed in Lebanon this week when beepers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah exploded in a coordinated manner on successive days. “We are opening a new phase in the war,” said Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, though Israel has not officially acknowledged that it was behind this operation. The

Putin hopes Belarus border bluff can disrupt Ukraine’s invasion of Russia

Kyiv has this week called on Belarus to withdraw its army from the Ukrainian border and warned of “tragic consequences” if the Belarusian military joins the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The strongly worded August 25 statement from Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs came in response to mounting reports of Belarusian troops concentrating close to the

How the Israeli intelligence community got its mojo back

In my twenty-six-year career at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), I found that there were many misnomers in the intelligence business that were shared by the public and even policymakers. One is the notion that the CIA should be able to foresee world events, a concept that I termed (with some derision) “predictive certainty.” Policymakers

Polymeropoulos on a Cipher Brief podcast about Havana Syndrome

Original Source On May 20, Forward Defense nonresident senior fellow Marc Polymeropoulos spoke on a Cipher Brief podcast titled “Is Russia Attacking U.S. Government Employees Using High-Energy Weapons?” about Havana Syndrome. Fellow Marc Polymeropoulos Nonresident Senior Fellow Forward Defense Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Afghanistan Europe & Eurasia Forward Defense, housed within the Scowcroft

Great power competition is back. What does that mean for US special operations forces?

After 9/11, US special operations forces (USSOF) became well known for direct-action missions that captivated the public’s imagination and demonstrated unparalleled tactical success. The highly publicized raids, precision strikes, and elimination of terrorist threats solidified USSOF’s reputation as the tip of the spear in the US military’s arsenal. In recent years, however, the global security

Polymeropoulos quoted in USA Today about the “Havana Syndrome” and the US intelligence community

Forward Defense, housed within the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, generates ideas and connects stakeholders in the defense ecosystem to promote an enduring military advantage for the United States, its allies, and partners. Our work identifies the defense strategies, capabilities, and resources the United States needs to deter and, if necessary, prevail in future

Polymeropoulos spoke with The Insider on suffering from “Havana Syndrome”

Forward Defense, housed within the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, generates ideas and connects stakeholders in the defense ecosystem to promote an enduring military advantage for the United States, its allies, and partners. Our work identifies the defense strategies, capabilities, and resources the United States needs to deter and, if necessary, prevail in future

Gericke featured on episode of NucleCast podcast

ORIGINAL SOURCE On January 16, IPSI nonresident senior fellow Brad Gericke spoke on an episode of NucleCast, a podcast produced by the Advanced Nuclear Weapons Alliance Deterrence Center. He discussed the situation leading up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the perspective of the intelligence community during this time.  Fellow Bradley T. Gericke Nonresident Senior