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Daniel N. Hoffman

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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

9/11 (September 11, 2001) Attack Remembrance Illustration by Linas Garsys/The Washington Times

In the post 9/11 world, good intelligence has proven more vital than ever

On the morning of September 11, 2001, my then-CIA colleague Rob was in Manhattan on the subway, headed to a 9 a.m. meeting in the World Trade Center. At 8:46 a.m., moments before he exited the subway, American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the Center's North Tower.

September 8, 2021

Afghanistan is more dangerous illustration by Linas Garsys / The Washington Times

Why Afghanistan is more dangerous

How ironic that as the 20th anniversary of 9/11 approaches Afghanistan is more of a clear and present danger to our nation than ever before.

August 24, 2021

The Fog of War Cyber Defense against Russia and China Illustration by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times

A 21st century digital Cold War with China and Russia

At their Geneva summit in June, President Biden confronted Russian President Vladimir Putin over the Kremlin's nefarious cyberattacks against the U.S.

August 12, 2021

In this file photo dated July 24, 2020, showing former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele in London. Britain’s High Court on Friday Oct. 30, 2020, has dismissed a libel claim by Russian Tech entrepreneur Aleksej Gubarev against Christopher Steele, the author of a report on U.S. President Donald Trump’s alleged links to Russia. (Aaron Chown/PA FILE via AP)

Another reason to revile Christopher Steele’s disastrous Trump dossier

Court filings released last month revealed new details about how Christopher Steele horrifically mismanaged a network of Russian contacts in compiling his infamous anti-Trump "dossier."

July 29, 2021

FILE - In this June 18, 2021, file photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during a Workers' Party meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea. After saying for months that it kept the coronavirus completely at bay, North Korea on Wednesday, June 30, came closest to admitting that its anti-virus campaign has been less than perfect. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)

Kim’s health only complicates the North Korean conundrum

Reappearing last month at a Politburo meeting after months out of the public spotlight, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un lambasted party officials for their failure to counter the coronavirus pandemic.

July 15, 2021

Illustration of the CIA by Linas Garsys/The Washington Times

At the CIA, Dave Marlowe is an inspired choice for a critical job

There is nothing more consequential for the director than promoting the best officers to the positions of greatest seniority and impact.

July 1, 2021

Putin on the Radar Screen Illustration by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times

‘Havana Syndrome’ and holding Russia accountable

Havana Syndrome was detected as early as 2016, when officials serving at the U.S. Embassy in Cuba fell ill with vertigo, headaches, fatigue and hearing loss.

June 17, 2021

FILE - In this March 10, 2011 file photo, then Vice President Joe Biden, left, shakes hands with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia. President Joe Biden will hold a summit with Vladimir Putin next month in Geneva, a face-to-face meeting between the two leaders that comes amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Russia in the first months of the Biden administration. (RIA Novosti, Alexei Druzhinin/Pool via AP, file)

Biden must stand firm in date with wily Putin

At the tail end of his first international trip after meetings with G-7 leaders and NATO members, President Biden will hold a one-day summit June 16 with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

June 3, 2021

Remembering The Fallen on Memorial Day Illustration by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times

A fallen colleague’s legacy lives on each Memorial Day

I'll never forget the spring day 14 years ago when my CIA colleague who was serving as our chief of air operations greeted me at the airport landing zone upon my return from leave to a Middle East war zone.

May 30, 2021

China stealing U.S. Technology illustration by The Washington Times

Pentagon needs smarter shoppers to outpace China

China is continuing to close the technology gap, in large part through stealing intellectual property from U.S. private-sector firms.

May 20, 2021

Illustration on court-based remedies against Putin's and Russia's misbehavior by Alexander Hunter/The Washington Times

Stopping America’s adversaries from abusing our courts

The dilemma for U.S. policymakers is that neither sanctions nor diplomatic expulsions have ever successfully induced any change in the nefarious behavior of KGB operative who runs the Kremlin -- President Vladimir Putin.

May 6, 2021

Putin Ukraine Strategy Illustration by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times

U.S. tested by Putin’s Ukraine playbook

According to President Vladimir Putin's press spokesman, Russia is massing troops on Ukraine's border solely to protect its citizens against a potential war in eastern Ukraine.

April 22, 2021

Afghanistan Intel Illustration by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times

Biden and Austin must listen to intelligence community in charting Afghanistan withdrawal

President Biden's new secretary of Defense, Gen. Lloyd Austin no doubt will be heavily relying again on the intelligence community as the Pentagon charts a course forward on Afghanistan.

April 8, 2021

Pentagon Shopping Cart Illustration by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times

The Pentagon needs to become a smarter shopper

China and Russia are challenging America's high-tech dominance. The goal: not just to contest but to achieve superiority in every fighting domain, including air, land, space, sea and cyberspace.

March 25, 2021

Illustration on the relationship with Saudi Arabia by Linas Garsys/The Washington Times

‘Recalibrate’ the Saudi relationship, but don’t wreck it

The Biden administration has announced the U.S. bilateral relationship with Saudi Arabia is undergoing a "recalibration."

March 11, 2021

Discredited Dossier Illustration by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times

Learning from the espionage malpractice behind the Steele dossier

Former British MI6 agent Christopher Steele's modus operandi was so fraught with horrific misjudgments that it should have rendered all of his reporting unworthy of being included in any analytical product.

February 25, 2021

In this photo provided by the Babuskinsky District Court, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny stands in a cage during a hearing on his charges for defamation, in the Babuskinsky District Court in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Feb. 5, 2021. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny appeared in a Moscow court on Friday for the second time this week, this time on a charge of slandering a World War II veteran. The politician, who was ordered earlier this week to serve two years and eight months in prison, slammed the hearing as a &quot;disgusting PR trial&quot; intended by the Kremlin to disparage him. (Babuskinsky District Court Press Service via AP)

Vladimir Putin faces serious threat from social media master Alexei Navalny

Having served in the KGB and as director of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), President Vladimir Putin is well versed in cloak-and-dagger espionage.

February 11, 2021

FILE - In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 file photo, Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier at the Capitol in Washington. Right-wing extremism has previously mostly played out in isolated pockets of America or in smaller cities. In contrast, the deadly attack by rioters on the U.S. Capitol targeted the very heart of government. It brought together members of disparate groups, creating the opportunity for extremists to establish links with each other. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

U.S. Capitol riots: Learning lessons from intelligence failures

The deadly Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol was just such a catastrophic intelligence failure, most especially in the analytical and decision-making stages.

January 28, 2021

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends a ruling party congress in Pyongyang, North Korea Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

Kim Jong-un’s threat to bring U.S. ‘to its knees’ heightens Biden’s challenges

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un resurfaced last week at the eighth Congress of his ruling Workers' Party, where he admitted "almost all sectors" of his country's economy had fallen short of their goals.

January 14, 2021

Illustration on the Swallwell case by Linas Garsys/The Washington Times

Lessons to be learned from Eric Swalwell’s brush with Chinese espionage

Eric Swalwell was reportedly "shocked" when the FBI informed him in 2015 that Christine Fang, a Chinese national who first met him in 2012, was a suspected spy.

December 31, 2020