Daniel N. Hoffman

CIA officer Ric Prado’s stellar career still inspires agents today

One of the great regrets of my decadeslong CIA career is that I never had the honor of serving under the legendary CIA senior clandestine services officer Ric Prado.

June 29, 2023

Willful blindness doomed Putin’s disastrous Ukraine war from the start

Mr. Putin's only success -- amid his colossal failure to prepare his own military force for war -- has been to induce a measure of "escalation paralysis" from the Biden administration.

June 22, 2023

President Kennedy’s call, ‘let them come to Berlin,’ still has lessons to teach 60 years later

It was 60 years ago this month that President John F. Kennedy delivered his impassioned speech in defense of liberty, freedom and self-government to 1 million citizens in the then-democratic enclave of West Berlin.

June 5, 2023

Stars on the wall at CIA headquarters tell Memorial Day tale

The CIA's Memorial Wall is in the lobby of the Original Headquarters Building.

May 25, 2023

As autocrats attack journalists, the world must stand in defense of a free press

In 2018, my late wife, Kim, and I attended the White House Correspondents' Association dinner for the first time.

May 11, 2023

Why I didn’t sign the Hunter Biden laptop letter

I was one of the retired senior officials who received an email from former acting CIA Director Michael Morell asking us to sign the now-infamous Hunter Biden laptop letter.

April 27, 2023

Thoughts on Pentagon’s national security leak and what comes next

There is a lot we're still learning about the Pentagon intelligence document leak, but this much we do know: The Biden administration is confronting a significant counterintelligence flap.

April 20, 2023

With a serving of ‘sisu,’ Finland add weight to NATO’s clash with Russia

A few decades back, I had the honor of joining friends from the Helsinki Rotary Club to bring some good cheer to Finnish war veterans during the holiday season.

April 13, 2023

Yes, there’s a new Cold War — and China started it

It's time to harness the power of that bipartisan consensus against China, or our national security will suffer the gravest of consequences.

March 30, 2023

After long intelligence career, Patricia Moynihan still putting out fires

Emergency medical technicians are almost always the first to arrive and provide lifesaving medical care for the critically injured.

March 16, 2023

Good policies, good allies needed to confront China

In the aftermath of the shootdown of the Chinese spy balloon, U.S. relations with Beijing are at their worst since President Richard Nixon opened up to China 50 years ago.

March 2, 2023

Ukraine debacle leaves Russia facing future as China’s vassal

One year into the most devastating war in Europe since World War II, China is ruthlessly focused on taking maximum advantage of a weakened Russia and an isolated Vladimir Putin.

February 16, 2023

In troubled times, Biden’s speech should embrace peace through strength

Two hundred and thirty years ago, President Washington used the very first State of the Union address at Congress Hall in Philadelphia to outline the doctrine of peace through strength.

February 2, 2023

What the Ana Montes espionage case can teach us

Former Defense Intelligence Agency analyst Ana Montes, who was convicted of spying for Cuba in 2002, was released from a Texas federal prison earlier this month.

January 19, 2023

At the CIA, foundation helps the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice

On Memorial Day, the CIA holds a ceremony to honor the courageous agency officers who gave their lives in service to their country.

January 5, 2023

Team Biden needs to publicly defend democracy against brittle dictators in Iran and China

Sparked by the arrest and death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, a wave of popular protest, strikes and civil unrest against Iran's dictatorship has spread throughout the country.

December 22, 2022

CIA’s Deputy Director Marlowe delivers a pointed message to a floundering Russia

Dave Marlowe has been the CIA's deputy director of operations since June 2021, and his work is worth knowing about.

December 8, 2022

Giving thanks to Ukraine for fighting the bigger fight

Now entering its tenth month, Russia's barbaric war on Ukraine has produced the most destructive humanitarian disaster in Europe since World War II.

November 24, 2022

One family’s story of the debts we owe our veterans

In 1918, after the end of World War I, my grandfather, who had served in the Navy, and his brother, who had served in the Army, returned to their hometown of Boston, where they had a tearful reunion.

November 10, 2022

Time to put politics aside and treat fentanyl crisis as a clear and present danger

Alarm bells should be ringing in the Biden White House after the Drug Enforcement Administration seized 300,000 rainbow-colored fentanyl pills worth almost $10 million in a Bronx apartment building last month.

November 3, 2022