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Daniel N. Hoffman

Daniel N. Hoffman is a retired clandestine services officer and former chief of station with the Central Intelligence Agency. His combined 30 years of government service included high-level overseas and domestic positions at the CIA. He has been a Fox News contributor since May 2018. He can be reached at danielhoffman@yahoo.com.

Columns by Daniel N. Hoffman

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

Using anti-terror expertise to fight human trafficking in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin's barbaric war in Ukraine has spawned a humanitarian catastrophe.

June 2, 2022

Memorial Day: A somber thanks to our fallen troops

There is no more sacred and somber day for the U.S. than Memorial Day when we commemorate the men and women who died in military service.

May 26, 2022

U.S. intelligence failed Ukraine, and we need now to get it right

"The fight is here. I need ammunition, not a ride."

May 19, 2022

Taliban-ruled Kabul, once again, a threat U.S. dare not ignore

While the world's attention has been justifiably focused on Russia's barbaric invasion of Ukraine, one big challenge for U.S. intelligence agencies is to not lose sight of the other wickedly complex threats all across the globe.

May 5, 2022

Putin’s intel failed him; America must do better, for the sake of the world

Russia's barbaric war against Ukraine has been a colossal intelligence failure, which comes with more than a hint of irony since President Vladimir Putin famously served in the KGB.

April 21, 2022

Putin’s Ukraine invasion ends the post-Cold War era

Russia's brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has for all practical purposes terminated the post-Cold War period.

April 7, 2022

Journalists soldier on in the face of Putin’s brutal war on truth

Last week, Russian state TV Channel One editor Maria Ovsyannikova bravely protested President Vladimir Putin's barbaric war against Ukraine.

March 24, 2022

A profile in courage: Zelenskyy is an inspirational hero to democracies everywhere

Throughout my career at CIA, I was regularly struck by the extent to which our policymakers relied on analytical profiles of foreign leaders, especially during times of crisis.

March 10, 2022

Long live Estonia: America must ensure defense of our most vulnerable NATO members

With Russia having begun an all-out invasion of Ukraine on Wednesday night, the U.S.-led NATO alliance should reflect on the significance of Estonia's independence day, Feb. 24.

February 24, 2022