Daniel N. Hoffman

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

From Putin’s dark past, lessons for addressing today’s crisis

In March 2018, it is useful now to remember, Russian GRU military intelligence operatives traveled to Salisbury, England, where they poisoned defector Sergei Skripal with the chemical nerve agent Novichok.

October 20, 2022

Biden needs a ‘plan B’ when it comes to Iran

Iranian security forces in recent days have been arresting civilians chanting "Death to the dictator" as nationwide protests grip the country.

October 6, 2022

Not done yet — Putin still dangerous as his Ukraine war goes south

Director CIA William Burns told a recent cyber security conference in Washington that it was "hard to see the record of the war -- Putin's record -- as anything other than a failure so far.

September 22, 2022

A decade after Benghazi, honoring four American heroes who paid the ultimate price

This month, the CIA and State Department will honor and remember four American heroes who were killed during the firefight with terrorists at the U.S. diplomatic compound and CIA annex in Benghazi.

September 8, 2022

China can’t be the CIA’s only focus in a world of threats

While elected officials often train their sights capriciously from one area of focus to another, the CIA must simultaneously and continuously track all threats across the globe.

August 25, 2022

Al-Zawahiri’s death should be celebrated, but big questions remain

The successful counterterrorism strike that killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri removed from the battlefield a dangerous terrorist who declared war on the U.S. decades ago.

August 11, 2022

Time for U.S. to end the ambiguity and guarantee Taiwan’s security

The goal for Washington and Taipei is to make Taiwan a hard target, one too costly in spilled blood and lost treasure for China to invade.

July 28, 2022

Despite his delusions, Putin is no Peter the Great

For those who ever had the pleasure of serving in Moscow's "belly of the beast," there must have been little surprise when KGB officer Vladimir Putin emerged from the ash heap of the Soviet Evil Empire as President of Russia in 2000.

July 14, 2022

Jack Barsky and the Fourth of July

"Jack Barsky" is not his real name. The real Jack Barsky died when he was ten years old. Jack Barsky was a cover legend, which the KGB created to send East German national Albrecht Dittrich to the United States in the late 1970's as a deep undercover spy.

June 30, 2022

Wisdom from a dad on Father’s Day

Each and every Father's Day, especially since I became the father of two boys of my own, a flood of childhood memories of my late father rushes over me.

June 16, 2022