State Secrets

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 and eventual release — and to offer a stark warning about how the Iranian regime operates. Shargi describes the night IRGC intelligence agents raided his family's home in Tehran, his detention inside the notorious Evin Prison and the pressure he faced to falsely confess to being a CIA spy. He also recounts an attempted escape from Iran after being sentenced to a decade in prison — an effort that ended when he was captured near the Iraqi Kurdistan border and returned to IRGC custody. But this conversation goes beyond his years in prison. Drawing on his firsthand experience with the Iranian security apparatus, Shargi explains why he believes Washington must fundamentally rethink how it deals with Tehran, the role economic pressure can play in weakening the regime and why he believes the Iranian people ultimately have the will to demand change. "You cannot negotiate with a cult of death," Shargi tells The Cipher Brief.

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 calculations over Taiwan, Petraeus explains how drones, autonomous weapons and rapidly changing battlefield technology are transforming warfare faster than many military institutions can adapt. On Iran, Petraeus examines whether there is a realistic path to ending the conflict, why maintaining economic and maritime pressure on Tehran matters, and how Iran's missiles and drones have changed the threat to U.S. forces, regional partners and some of the world's most critical energy infrastructure. He also warns against believing the United States can simply disengage from the region. "Trying to leave the Middle East for the United States is like Michael Corleone trying to leave the mafia," Petraeus says. "You just keep getting sucked back in." The conversation then turns to Ukraine, which Petraeus describes as a "laboratory for the future of war." He explains how drones have transformed the battlefield, why traditional weapons such as artillery and tanks face new vulnerabilities, and how autonomous systems could soon usher in another dramatic shift.

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 increasingly autonomous systems could fundamentally change the role humans play in cyber conflict. They examine China's penetration of U.S. telecommunications and critical infrastructure, cyber threats from Iran, Russia and North Korea, the growing ransomware threat, the race to prepare for quantum computing, and what Ukraine is teaching the world about autonomous warfare.  Gen. Nakasone also explains why America's intelligence capabilities remain a critical competitive advantage, why defending critical infrastructure requires deeper partnerships between government and the private sector, and what national security leaders should be watching now.

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 was recorded, additional developments - including changes in Ukraine's military leadership - have overtaken parts of that discussion. The strategic insights on Ukraine's battlefield innovation, however, remain as relevant as ever. From Ukraine's increasingly effective long-range drone campaign against Russia's military infrastructure to the growing strain on Kyiv's air defenses, Montgomery explains why this war is becoming the world's most important laboratory for military innovation. He also shares firsthand observations from his latest trip to Ukraine - including conversations with commanders on the front lines - and discusses what the U.S., NATO, and Taiwan should be learning before the next major conflict.

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 represent the alliance's principal security threat. Fishwick also discusses the diminishing focus on Greenland as the war with Iran reshapes U.S. priorities.

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 Ukraine, the Middle East and NATO's eastern flank, General Breedlove explains why drones are only one piece of a much larger revolution in military power. He discusses why America must rethink defense acquisition, how adversaries are exploiting gray zone warfare, why protecting critical infrastructure is becoming increasingly difficult, and why the West can no longer afford to fight tomorrow's wars with yesterday's assumptions. From the future of air superiority to cyber conflict, autonomous weapons and the growing threat to the homeland, this is a conversation about the wars of the future—and whether the United States is prepared for them.

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 last three years than at any point in modern military history. From artificial intelligence and autonomous systems to drone swarms and machine-speed decision making, Petraeus explains why the war in Ukraine has become the world's most important laboratory for military innovation—and why the United States and its allies must move far more quickly to adapt.

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. From the new space race and AI-powered disinformation to cyber warfare, Russia, China, and the future of conflict, this wide-ranging discussion reveals how the stories we imagine today may become tomorrow's strategic challenges. Are we entering a technological revolution as consequential as the space race? And who is best positioned to anticipate what's next—the intelligence community or the storytellers imagining the future?

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 Army officer, founder of BMNT, and co-founder of Hacking for Defense. Together, they discuss how students at leading universities are tackling real-world challenges from the Pentagon, intelligence community, and NASA; why AI is changing the way innovators build solutions; and what it will take for the United States to compete with increasingly adaptive adversaries like China. The conversation explores defense acquisition reform, the Pentagon's innovation ecosystem, startup culture in national security, the rise of defense venture capital, and why the biggest challenge may not be technology—but people.

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 2034 and 2054. Drawing on decades of military, intelligence, and geopolitical experience, Stavridis and Ackerman explore a future shaped by climate-driven migration, AI-powered conflict, surveillance, shifting global power centers, and the growing competition for influence in the Arctic and beyond. They explain how fiction can serve as a strategic warning, helping readers imagine future crises before they become reality. The conversation also examines the risks of cognitive warfare, autonomous weapons, U.S.-China tensions, democratic resilience, and why—despite the challenges ahead—the authors remain cautiously optimistic about humanity's ability to navigate the century's biggest threats. If you care about the future of national security, technology, and global stability, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

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 and Ozark — reveals how the production worked directly with the Central Intelligence Agency and MI6 to better understand the realities of intelligence work, the emotional toll of covert operations, and the evolving threats facing the West today. The conversation explores the balance between realism and entertainment, why intelligence professionals connected deeply with the film, and how today's gray zone conflicts — from cyber warfare to disinformation campaigns — are shaping modern storytelling. Bernstein also shares behind-the-scenes insight into filming unprecedented action sequences in central London and what it was like screening the movie at CIA headquarters.

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 underway - inside our networks. In this episode: Why the Australian Signals Directorate is one of the Five Eyes' most important cyber and intelligence partners How China is pre-positioning inside critical infrastructure and telecommunications networks Why cyber criminals and state-backed actors are increasingly blurring together What Russia, Iran and China are teaching the world about cyber conflict How AI is accelerating both cyber defense and cyber offense Why private sector companies may now be the first line of defense in modern conflict What citizens can do to strengthen national cyber resilience Why intelligence agencies need to better explain their mission to the public Become a Cipher Brief Subscriber+ for deeper national security insight from the experts shaping the conversation.

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 synthetic media at scale, offering a way to counter this threat without censorship.   Is this the moment we redefine our approach to misinformation? 

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, firsthand insight into the realities of intelligence operations, the risks officers face, and the truth behind the headlines. Goff explains why the loss of intelligence officers - often far from traditional war zones - remains an enduring reality of the job. He also breaks down how the CIA works with foreign partners, why operations in Mexico are uniquely dangerous, and how missions continue even after tragedy strikes. This conversation also pulls back the curtain on how intelligence operations are actually authorized and conducted - dispelling Hollywood myths about rogue agents and revealing the legal, political, and operational constraints that govern every move.