It’s Thursday…and with all eyes on China and the business-driven agenda for meetings between presidents, many of the critical thinkers in the national security community are looking at what’s not on the agenda. 
 
For example, Russia has been bombarding Ukraine with attack after attack this week as fewer eyes seem to be paying attention and former senior CIA operations officer Sean Wiswesser writes exclusively in today’s Cipher Brief that Russia and China pose more of a threat when they coordinate their actions. This is something worth watching (and reading).
 
In another piece you’ll only read in tonight’s Cipher Brief, Brian Lessenberry, a senior fellow at the University of Virginia’s National Security and Data Policy Institute unpacks the consequences to the national security mission of post-9/11 analytic tradecraft standards that may be increasingly outdated (especially with the rise of AI-enabled analytic capabilities). Read more in this Cipher Brief exclusive. 
 
And retired Chief Warrant Officer 5 Joey Gagnard (who is also CEO of Atlas Special Projects and The Cipher Brief’s partner for this year’s Meridian Forge Summit) argues that even if the Pentagon secures its $1.5 trillion FY2027 budget request, it’s not necessarily an automatic game-changer. He argues that how that money is spent is the secret to success. (Here’s a hint, Gagnard writes that more funds going to advanced systems developed by neoprimes are bringing unprecedented levels of innovation to the defense sector.)  This is a must-read you don’t want to miss in The Cipher Brief. 
 
Here’s a look at the other key developments we’re tracking this Thursday…
 
A BIG DAY IN BEIJING – Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met for two hours today in the Great Hall of the People alongside a host of senior Chinese officials and American business leaders. The biggest headline to come out of that meeting was Xi’s warning of “clashes and even conflicts” with the U.S. over Taiwan if that issue is handled poorly. (Feels like a shot across the bow, eh?) The U.S. part of the delegation reportedly focused more on expanding U.S. market access in China and increasing Chinese investment in the U.S. Presidents Trump and Xi later took a tour of the famous Temple of Heaven in Beijing and met again for a state banquet. President Trump described the visit as “extremely positive and productive” and Xi toasted that the U.S. and China “should be partners rather than rivals.” Continue leyendo →