Russia's Invisible War: Drones, Sabotage, and the Fight for Europe
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. Jacek Siewiera, former head of Poland's National Security Bureau and former senior national security advisor to the Polish president, and Dave Pitts, former senior CIA executive and co-founder of The Cipher Brief's Gray Zone Group.
Together, they examine how Russia is using hybrid warfare to test NATO's defenses, spread fear and uncertainty, and undermine European support for Ukraine. They also explore the growing risks posed by drone technology, the potential use of chemical and radiological weapons, and why traditional deterrence strategies may no longer be enough.
As Russia's shadow war expands beyond Ukraine, what will it take for Europe and the United States to effectively deter Moscow before these threats escalate further?
8 Oct 2026
A Decade of Warning Signs: How America's Threats Have Changed
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 rapidly emerging technology and a new alignment with Russia, Iran and North Korea.
29 Sept 2026
The Changing Character of War: Inside the Future Battlefield
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 special operations community, Fenton brings a unique perspective on how warfare is evolving. He explains what he sees more clearly now from outside government, including the growing role of America's private sector in developing technologies and capabilities that could prove critical to national security.
Drawing lessons from the war in Ukraine, Fenton describes a future battlefield where exquisite, billion-dollar military systems operate alongside enormous numbers of cheaper, attritable systems. From autonomous drones in the air to uncrewed vehicles on land, on the surface of the ocean and underwater, he explains why scale, autonomy and the ability to integrate these technologies could fundamentally reshape how militaries fight.
Kelly and Fenton also explore what a special operations force built for this new era might look like, how artificial intelligence, cyber and space are changing the equation, and whether the long-held special operations principle that "humans are more important than hardware" can survive in an increasingly autonomous world.
The conversation expands beyond the battlefield to China's growing economic, diplomatic and military power, competition in the gray zone, foreign information operations and the role special operations can play below the threshold of conventional conflict. Fenton also makes the case that America's economic strength, private capital, manufacturing base and culture of innovation are inseparable from its national security.
At the center of it all is deterrence. For Fenton, the ultimate measure of military strength isn't whether America can fight the next great power war — it's whether the United States and its allies can remain capable enough that an adversary decides not to start one in the first place.
Today's Sponsor is Two Six Technologies: https://twosixtech.com/products/sentr
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