Daniel Hoffman

Expert Analysis of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

Be wary of false comparisons of Ukraine to the long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan during past decades. There are no U.S. or NATO boots on the ground doing the fighting for Kyiv. This is Ukraine’s existential war to preserve its independence in the face of a brutal Russian onslaught. But it is also our fight. Brave Ukrainian soldiers are defending Europe from Russia’s brutal aggression, cutting the Russian army down to size, depleting Russia’s weapons stocks, and inducing a crisis of confidence in the Kremlin over blowback from the most destructive land war in Europe since World War II. Russia’s putative allies, especially China, must be feeling some buyer’s remorse over Mr. Putin’s costly failed war. The money the U.S.-led NATO alliance has spent to keep Ukraine in the fight, by contrast, has seen an extraordinarily high return on investment… What are the long-term implications of this war on Russia’s future and on U.S. national security?  

Expert Analysis of the War in Gaza

Hamas’s barbaric October 7th terrorist attack was the most significant intelligence failure in Israel’s history since the Yom Kippur War. How did Hamas pull this off? What does the ongoing war mean for the region, including Iran and its proxy militias and terrorist groups? And what role will the U.S. play in averting a wider war in the Middle East and ensuring there is a post-conflict reconstruction plan for Gaza, which gives Palestinians the freedom of opportunity and good governance they deserve and is essential for preventing a Hamas resurgence? 

Turning Traffic Lights Green: Applying an Intelligence Model to Cyber Security

What would happen if a cybercriminal simultaneously turned all of the traffic lights in Manhattan green? 

Cyberspace serves as a great force multiplier for free expression and commerce. It is also an open, unregulated playing field for criminals and malicious actors, leaving citizens vulnerable to attacks, which can change, steal, or destroy data. Having served the better part of the past three decades in the intelligence community, former CIA Officer Daniel Hoffman shares his perspective on integrating human intelligence with technical countermeasures as a robust strategy for more effectively protecting the data, money, and reputation on which commercial success relies. Relying on his deep experience in cyber operations and counterintelligence, Mr. Hoffman outlines a three-pronged capability-based cybersecurity strategy focused on assessing the battlespace, striving for a 360-degree optic, and defending against insider threats. 

Leadership Lessons Learned From CIA War Zones and Other High Threat “Denied Areas”

Mr. Hoffman shares his perspective on leadership lessons learned from serving in senior Intelligence Community positions in overseas war zone locations as well as inside the Beltway where he ran CIA covert operations and delivered critical intelligence assessment, especially on the Middle East and South Asia to senior U.S. Government officials. Using experiences from overseeing operations in the Middle East and South Asia, Mr. Hoffman emphasizes the importance of getting the big ideas right and describes the role of Human Intelligence (HUMINT) in our national security policymaking process. Explaining the role of collection, analysis, and executive decision-making while highlighting the importance of delineating the confidence level of analytical decisions, Mr. Hoffman applies leadership lessons from his service at the CIA to private sector challenges. 

What Does Never Ever Give up When You’re Fighting Cancer Have to Do With Espionage? A Lot

At CIA that means grappling with the most wickedly challenging threats to our national security. It means exfiltrating our sources from behind enemy lines; it means recruiting spies and stealing secrets in places like Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea; and serving in harm’s way to detect threats and preempt them before they are visited on our shores. Most of all it means honoring the memory of those whom we lost along the way- – in places like Baghdad, Benghazi, and Khost — by carrying on, relentlessly focusing on our sacred mission. Mr. Hoffman shares his perspective on raising two sons now 14 and 11 following the passing of his wife from cancer three years ago and intertwines some of his most compelling CIA stories.