Daniel N. Hoffman

Allied intelligence remains America’s force multiplier

About 20 years ago, I was on home leave in the U.S. when I had some pieces of detached bone removed from around my nose, the result of an old high school injury.

September 17, 2026

America must see the world through its enemies’ eyes

Every year on Sept. 11, we commemorate the innocent lives al Qaeda terrorists stole from us on that fateful day.

September 3, 2026

The CIA must determine Iran’s next likely moves

Last month, a college student interested in a career in public service asked me to share the greatest lesson I learned during my early days as a CIA trainee. That's easy, I replied. Humility.

August 20, 2026

For Iran, negotiating in good faith ‘worse than drinking poison’

One of the most sacred duties of the director of the CIA is to tell the president and Cabinet officials what they need to know, even when it's not what they want to hear.

August 6, 2026

Putin’s Ukraine war revives NATO’s original core mission

After the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, earlier this month, I caught up with former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker, who pronounced the high-level meetings "a great success."

July 23, 2026

Iran, North Korea, Russia care only about regime survival

Back in 2018, I had a front-row seat in Singapore when President Trump became the first sitting U.S. leader to meet North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.

July 9, 2026

U.S. has faced a similar threat landscape before

If my relatives who fought in World War II were alive today, they would admonish elected U.S. officials about this century's axis of dictatorships.

June 25, 2026

U.S. needs nuclear power to win the AI race

When I served at the CIA, analysts were often asked to prognosticate about a foreign adversary's plans.

June 11, 2026

High school graduates should learn to embrace the unexpected

High school graduation season is upon us. Teenagers are transitioning to a new chapter in their lives, which is exciting but also can result in some understandable trepidation.

May 28, 2026

The real purpose of the Trump-Xi meeting

Expectations were high when President Trump visited Beijing to meet with Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping.

May 14, 2026

Ukraine has shown U.S. what it will take to win

During a House hearing in April, U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll emphasized that the U.S. was learning a lot from the Ukrainian military, which has "done an absolutely amazing job of innovating."

April 30, 2026

Joy Jars creator Jessie Rees posthumously inspires perseverance, excellence

Jessie Rees should have celebrated her 27th birthday with her loving family and friends on April 8.

April 16, 2026

Congress must pay for additional Iran war funding and not charge it to the next generation

Last month, the Pentagon asked for an additional $200 billion in funding for the war in Iran. The White House is on the hook to review this sizable request -- more than 20% of the yearly Department of Defense budget -- and submit it to Congress.

April 2, 2026

‘Mowing the grass’ in Iran risks an endless cycle of war

I first heard the phrase "mowing the grass" years ago in Tel Aviv during a meeting with Israeli intelligence officers.

March 19, 2026

Europe must invest more in Ukraine

Last month, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson encouraged Europe to send noncombat troops to Ukraine.

March 5, 2026

Trump’s Iran challenge: Deal or destruction

CIA Director John Ratcliffe has no shortage of wickedly complex threats to U.S. national security.

February 19, 2026

China polysilicon dominance threatens U.S. military edge

The extraordinary U.S. military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of dictator Nicolas Maduro would not have been possible without U.S. technological superiority over China.

February 5, 2026

U.S. intelligence learned hard lessons from Ames’ treachery

Earlier this month, around the time the U.S. military was rendering Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro to justice, convicted spy Aldrich "Rick" Ames was taking his last breaths in a federal prison.

January 22, 2026

Putin holds out for domination

I'll never forget the most unexpected conversation I had with my uncle Fred back in December 2006 after I returned from Iraq.

January 8, 2026

Remembering U.S. intelligence officers taken by terrorism

On Dec. 30, 2009, I was in Moscow when jihadi website writer Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi blew himself up in a suicide attack on the Americans serving on a U.S. base in Khost, Afghanistan.

December 25, 2025