Daniel N. Hoffman

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

How Trump can exploit the China-Russia fissure

While engaging in shuttle diplomacy to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Trump administration should grapple with the significance of the moment relative to China's new cold war on us and our allies.

December 11, 2025

Thanksgiving, a time for gratitude

A few weeks ago, my older son was working tirelessly on what for him was a challenging high school English assignment, which required him to write about a meaningful moment in his life.

November 27, 2025

Terrorist networks find haven again in Afghanistan

During one of my headquarters assignments at the CIA, I was responsible for briefing the director every morning on the latest sensitive developments worldwide.

November 13, 2025

Halloween-worthy disguises have long been critical arrows in the CIA quiver

My late wife, Kim, always made Halloween an especially joyful holiday for our family, using the accomplished hair and makeup skills she honed while working as a CIA disguise technician.

October 30, 2025

Show Putin his Ukraine strategy is failing

On May 1, 2011, I had a front row seat in the CIA's Counterterrorism Center, tracking U.S. SEAL Team operators who were delivering justice to Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.

October 16, 2025

Needed: A peace plan that doesn’t reward Putin

A peace settlement negotiated without rewarding Russian ruler Vladimir Putin's imperial land grab would not only guarantee Ukraine's independence but also ensure we protect Europe.

October 2, 2025

Republicans, Democrats can unite in standing up to China’s new world order

Commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing earlier this month, Chinese leader Xi Jinping choreographed the dance of the world's most nefarious dictators.

September 18, 2025

Putin breathes deception and manipulation

Going back to the days of the Soviet KGB, Russian intelligence officers have ruthlessly trained their sites on assessing and evaluating their adversaries.

September 4, 2025

The curative power of laughter

Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, I received an unexpected call from Joe Sibilia, who produces the morning radio show for former "Saturday Night Live" comedian Joe Piscopo.

August 29, 2025

U.S. pivot in Iraq offers lesson for Israel in Gaza

I'll never forget the day I first arrived in Iraq in the autumn of 2006. The country was in turmoil, and the George W. Bush administration was dramatically shifting its failing strategy.

August 21, 2025

Father’s Day lessons for life

This year on Father's Day, I joined a slew of parents cheering on our sons in an end-of-season soccer tournament.

August 7, 2025

America’s main enemy is Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been at war with Ukraine since 2014. He has been at war with democracy his entire life.

July 22, 2025

Battle damage assessment will determine next steps in Iran

When I joined the CIA decades ago, the first thing my fellow trainees and I learned was that there was no manual for conducting overseas espionage operations.

July 10, 2025

Iran is down but still dangerous

A nuclear threshold state, Iran found itself in the crosshairs of the U.S. and Israel over its ballistic missile capability, proxy terrorist network and refusal to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

June 26, 2025

The transformational power of fatherhood

I'll never forget that day decades ago when I told my father that the CIA had hired me and I would be starting work there in three months.

June 12, 2025

The enduring lesson of ‘Operation Ghost Stories’

This June will mark 15 years since the FBI arrested 10 Russian deep undercover intelligence officers in an exquisite Justice Department counterintelligence operation code-named "Ghost Stories."

May 29, 2025

America’s China strategy needs urgent overhaul

The US is under siege from the Chinese Communist Party but is not close to doing enough to counter, defend and deter China's multifarious threats to its national security.

May 15, 2025