Daniel N. Hoffman
Columns by Daniel N. Hoffman
A 21st century digital Cold War with China and Russia
At their Geneva summit in June, President Biden confronted Russian President Vladimir Putin over the Kremlin's nefarious cyberattacks against the U.S. Published August 12, 2021
Another reason to revile Christopher Steele’s disastrous Trump dossier
Court filings released last month revealed new details about how Christopher Steele horrifically mismanaged a network of Russian contacts in compiling his infamous anti-Trump "dossier." Published July 29, 2021
Kim’s health only complicates the North Korean conundrum
Reappearing last month at a Politburo meeting after months out of the public spotlight, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un lambasted party officials for their failure to counter the coronavirus pandemic. Published July 15, 2021
At the CIA, Dave Marlowe is an inspired choice for a critical job
There is nothing more consequential for the director than promoting the best officers to the positions of greatest seniority and impact. Published July 1, 2021
‘Havana Syndrome’ and holding Russia accountable
Havana Syndrome was detected as early as 2016, when officials serving at the U.S. Embassy in Cuba fell ill with vertigo, headaches, fatigue and hearing loss. Published June 17, 2021
Biden must stand firm in date with wily Putin
At the tail end of his first international trip after meetings with G-7 leaders and NATO members, President Biden will hold a one-day summit June 16 with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Published June 3, 2021
A fallen colleague’s legacy lives on each Memorial Day
I'll never forget the spring day 14 years ago when my CIA colleague who was serving as our chief of air operations greeted me at the airport landing zone upon my return from leave to a Middle East war zone. Published May 30, 2021
Pentagon needs smarter shoppers to outpace China
China is continuing to close the technology gap, in large part through stealing intellectual property from U.S. private-sector firms. Published May 20, 2021
Stopping America’s adversaries from abusing our courts
The dilemma for U.S. policymakers is that neither sanctions nor diplomatic expulsions have ever successfully induced any change in the nefarious behavior of KGB operative who runs the Kremlin -- President Vladimir Putin. Published May 6, 2021
U.S. tested by Putin’s Ukraine playbook
According to President Vladimir Putin's press spokesman, Russia is massing troops on Ukraine's border solely to protect its citizens against a potential war in eastern Ukraine. Published April 22, 2021
Biden and Austin must listen to intelligence community in charting Afghanistan withdrawal
President Biden's new secretary of Defense, Gen. Lloyd Austin no doubt will be heavily relying again on the intelligence community as the Pentagon charts a course forward on Afghanistan. Published April 8, 2021
The Pentagon needs to become a smarter shopper
China and Russia are challenging America's high-tech dominance. The goal: not just to contest but to achieve superiority in every fighting domain, including air, land, space, sea and cyberspace. Published March 25, 2021
‘Recalibrate’ the Saudi relationship, but don’t wreck it
The Biden administration has announced the U.S. bilateral relationship with Saudi Arabia is undergoing a "recalibration." Published March 11, 2021
Learning from the espionage malpractice behind the Steele dossier
Former British MI6 agent Christopher Steele's modus operandi was so fraught with horrific misjudgments that it should have rendered all of his reporting unworthy of being included in any analytical product. Published February 25, 2021
Vladimir Putin faces serious threat from social media master Alexei Navalny
Having served in the KGB and as director of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), President Vladimir Putin is well versed in cloak-and-dagger espionage. Published February 11, 2021
U.S. Capitol riots: Learning lessons from intelligence failures
The deadly Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol was just such a catastrophic intelligence failure, most especially in the analytical and decision-making stages. Published January 28, 2021
Kim Jong-un’s threat to bring U.S. ‘to its knees’ heightens Biden’s challenges
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un resurfaced last week at the eighth Congress of his ruling Workers' Party, where he admitted "almost all sectors" of his country's economy had fallen short of their goals. Published January 14, 2021
Lessons to be learned from Eric Swalwell’s brush with Chinese espionage
Eric Swalwell was reportedly "shocked" when the FBI informed him in 2015 that Christine Fang, a Chinese national who first met him in 2012, was a suspected spy. Published December 31, 2020
Russian cyber attack underscores need for elected officials to unite against Kremlin
The purpose of intelligence is to detect threats "left of boom" so they can be preempted before they are visited on our shores. Published December 24, 2020
Not so fast on rejoining a badly flawed Iran deal, Mr. Biden
President-elect Joe Biden's stated aim to embrace the 2015 Iran nuclear deal as long as Tehran also returns to compliance is causing well-justified apprehension. Published December 17, 2020
