2026 Agenda
The Emerging Public-Private Alliance - A National Security Superpower
Day 1: Sunday October 25
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Cumberland Room
REGISTRATION OPEN
5:00 PM - 5:20 PM
The Cloister Ballroom
A CIPHER BRIEF WELCOME
Suzanne Kelly, Cipher Brief CEO & Publisher
5:20 PM - 5:40 PM
The Cloister Ballroom
RUSSIA: A COMPREHENSIVE THREAT
KEYNOTE REMARKS
Dr. Michael Vickers - Former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence
Moderated by Suzanne Kelly
5:40 PM - 6:00 PM
The Cloister Ballroom
PRIVATE EYES: WHAT WE SEE. A GLOBAL BRIEF IN PICTURES
Vice Admiral (Ret) Frank Whitworth, Former Director National Geospatial Intelligence Agency
6:00 PM - 6:20 PM
CHINA AS THE PACING THREAT. KEYNOTE REMARKS
The Cloister Ballroom
General (Ret) Tim Haugh, former Director, National Security Agency
6:20 PM - 6:50 PM
HARNESSING AMERICA'S SUPERPOWER. INNOVATION & INVESTMENT
The Cloister Ballroom
General (Ret) Bryan Fenton, former Commander, USSOCOM. Moderated by Richard Berry, Cipher Brief Expert, Columnist & Strategic Advisor, USSOCOM
6:50 PM - 6:55 PM
A WARM WELCOME FROM OUR COCKTAIL RECEPTION HOST
The Cloister Ballroom
Chris Willis, Director, Dedicated Clouds, AWS Regional Services
7:00 PM - 7:45 PM
Cloister Ballroom Lobby Portico
COCKTAILS UNDER THE PORTICO
Day 2: Monday October 26
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Sapelo Room
REGISTRATION OPEN
8:15 AM - 9:00 AM
The Cloister Ballroom
A PRE-CONFERENCE LIVE PODCAST RECORDING
Suzanne Kelly - Cipher Brief CEO & Publisher
Mike Vickers - Former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence
9:00 AM - 9:15 AM
The Cloister Ballroom
MORNING BRIEF
Suzanne Kelly - Cipher Brief CEO & Publisher
9:15 AM - 9:45 AM
The Cloister Ballroom
REIMAGINING THE INTELLIGENCE PICTURE
Keynote Remarks
Dustin Gard-Weiss - Executive Director, CIA
9:45 AM - 10:05 AM
The Cloister Ballroom
HYPE VS. REALITY ON THREATS FUELED BY TECHNOLOGY
A Live Action Op-Ed
Sandra Joyce - VP, Google Threat Intelligence
10:05 AM - 10:30 AM
CYBER POWER AT THE SPEED OF THE THREAT:
INTELLIGENCE, STRATEGIC EFFECTS AND
OPERATIONAL INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIP
The Cloister Ballroom
Katherine Sutton - Assistant Secretary of War for Cyber Policy & Principal Cyber Advisor to the Secretary of War
Off-the-Record Keynote Remarks
10:30 AM - 10:45 AM
Cloister Foyer
NETWORKING BREAK
10:45 AM - 10:50 AM
NOW SHOWING (ALMOST): TRAILER FOR KILLHOUSE
The Cloister Ballroom
10:50 AM - 11:15 AM
GLOBAL BRIEF: UKRAINE'S CHANGING FRONT LINES
The Cloister Ballroom
Ralph Goff - Former Chief of Station, CIA
Glenn Corn - Former Chief of Station, CIA
Clara Kalderovic - Non-Resident Fellow, The Atlantic Council
Moderated by Brad Christian - Executive Editor, The Cipher Brief
11:15 AM - 11:50 AM
THE BATTLEFIELD OF THE FUTURE
The Cloister Ballroom
General David Petraeus (Ret.), Former Director, CIA
Moderated by Suzanne Kelly
A Live Briefing: Location Undisclosed
11:50 AM - 12:25 PM
The Cloister Ballroom
MAPPING RUSSIA'S SANCTIONS EVASION NETWORK
An Expert Conversation
Shannon Corless - Fmr Assistant Secretary, Treasury Department
Dawson Law - Former Representative to the UK, Treasury Department
Moderated by Greg Myre - National Security Correspondent, NPR
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
A SEA ISLAND LUNCHEON
Black Banks Terrace
1:30 PM - 2:40 PM
The Cloister Ballroom
OPERATION OVERWHELMING FORCE
An Off-the-Record Exercise
Led by Gen. Mike Minihan (Ret.), Former Commander, Air Mobility Command
RADM Mark Montgomery (Ret.), Former Executive Director, CyberspaceSolarium Commission
2:40 PM - 2:55 PM
The Cloister Ballroom
NETWORKING BREAK
2:55 PM - 3:00 PM
The Cloister Ballroom
LIVE ACTION INTRODUCTION
Vinny Troia, CEO, Shadow Nexus
3:00 PM - 3:20 PM
The Cloister Ballroom
EARLY WARNING ADVANTAGE: OSINT & COMMERCIAL THREAT INTELLIGENCE
Kiersten Todt, Sr. VP, Cybersecurity Partnership & Engagement, Mastercard
Rick Fisher, VP, Flashpoint National Security Solutions
Kate Baldwin, Director National Security, TRM Labs
Moderated by Brad Christian, Executive Director, The Cipher Brief
3:20 PM - 3:40 PM
The Cloister Ballroom
RAPID FIRE SERIES: MACHINE INTELLIGENCE: A VIEW FROM DARPA
Dr. Eric Davies, Strategic Technology Office, DARPA
A Live Action Op/Ed
3:40 PM - 4:00 PM
The Cloister Ballroom
RAPID FIRE SERIES: THE ARC OF AI AND NATIONAL SECURITY
Allison Laporte-Oshiro, National Security Chief Data & AI Officer, AWS
Moderated by Suzanne Kelly, CEO & Publisher, The Cipher Brief
A Fireside Chat
4:00 PM - 4:20 PM
The Cloister Ballroom
RAPID FIRE SERIES: THE AI EXPERIENCE: TRUST, SECURITY & WHAT'S NEXT
Michael Yeh, Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Customer Security & Trust, Microsoft
Moderated by Dustin Volz, Cybersecurity and Intelligence Reporter, The New York Times
A Fireside Chat
Day 3: Tuesday October 27
9:00 AM - 9:15 AM
The Cloister Ballroom
MORNING BRIEF
Suzanne Kelly - CEO & Publisher, The Cipher Brief
9:15 AM - 9:45 AM
The Cloister Ballroom
(IF) THE NEXT WAR STARTS IN SPACE... ARE WE READY?
An Expert-Led Fireside Chat
General Chance Saltzman (Ret.) - Former Commander, U.S. Space Command
9:45 AM - 10:15 AM
The Cloister Ballroom
WHAT CHINA REALLY WANTS & HOW THAT'S SHAPING INVESTMENT
An Expert-Led Fireside Chat
General Timothy Haugh (Ret.) - Former Director, National Security Agency
10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
The Cloister Ballroom
NETWORKING BREAK
10:30 AM - 11:10 AM
The Cloister Ballroom
FORGING AMERICA'S NEW SUPERPOWER
An Expert Conversation
Jennifer Goff, Director, Office of Commercial Partnerships, CIA
Sandra Joyce, VP, Google Threat Intelligence
Moderated by Michael Salazar, GM, Microsoft
11:10 AM - 12:00 PM
The Cloister Ballroom
TECH-FUELED CYBER THREATS
An Expert Conversation
Stephanie Walker, Section Chief, National Security Intelligence, FBI
Kate Sutton, Acting Regional Director, CISA
Cynthia Kaiser, SVP Ransomware Research Ctr., Halcyon
Tatyana Bolton, Executive Director, Monument Advocacy
Moderated by Matt Hayden, VP, Cyber & Emerging Threats, GDIT
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Black Banks Terrace
A SEA ISLAND LUNCHEON
1:00 PM - 1:10 PM
The Cloister Ballroom
WELCOME BACK
1:10 PM - 1:30 PM
The Cloister Ballroom
THE IRAN CONFLICT: STRATEGIC LESSONS & EMERGING RISKS
Norm Roule, Former National Intelligence Manager for Iran, ODNI
A Live Briefing
1:30 PM - 1:50 PM
GRAY ZONE: PART ONE
The Cloister Ballroom
Shawn Chenoweth, Director of Cognitive Advantage, National Security Council
A Fireside Chat
1:50 PM - 2:10 PM
The Cloister Ballroom
GRAY ZONE: PART TWO
Clint Watts, General Manager, Microsoft
An Off-the-Record Briefing
2:10 PM - 3:00 PM
The Cloister Ballroom
GRAY ZONE: PART THREE
An Expert-Level Conversation
Introduction by Dave Pitts, Former Senior CIA Executive and Co-Founder of The Cipher Brief's Gray Zone Group
Clint Watts, General Manager, Microsoft
Chip Usher, Special Competitive Studies Project
John Hultquist, Chief Analyst, Google Threat Intelligence Group
Austin Branch, Professor of Practice, UMD ARLIS and Adjunct Professor Intelligence & Security, The Citadel
Moderated by Andrew Hallman, VP, Leidos
3:00 PM - 3:15 PM
The Cloister Solarium
NETWORKING BREAK
3:15 PM - 3:45 PM
The Cloister Ballroom
HOW WE'RE ADAPTING OUR INVESTMENT IN NATIONAL SECURITY
An Expert Panel
Introduction by Derek Britton, EVP, Public Sector, Seekr
Kate Conover, Chief Data and Super Intelligence Officer, CIA
Chip Usher, Special Competitive Studies Project
Hamlet Yousef, Strategic Advisor, Irregular Warfare Initiative
Moderated by Kelly Bissell, Founder, Cyber Risk Vectors
3:45 PM - 4:15 PM
The Cloister Ballroom
REAL VS. REEL
An Expert Panel
Janelle Neises, CIA Hollywood Liaison
Andrew Bernstein, Director, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War
Vinnie Wilhelm, Writer, Talamasca: The Secret Order
Moderated by Tim Barrett, Head of Communications, AWS WW Public Sector
3:45 PM - 4:15 PM
The Cloister Ballroom
A CYBER ANNOUNCEMENT
General Paul Nakasone (Ret.), Former Director, National Security Agency
Kiersten Todt, Senior Vice President, Cybersecurity Partnerships & Engagement, Mastercard
Suzanne Kelly, CEO & Publisher, The Cipher Brief
Day 4: Wednesday October 28
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM
Mizner Ballroom
THE INVISIBLE BATTLEFIELD: CYBER, AI & THE NEXT WAR
General Paul Nakasone (Ret.), Former Director, National Security Agency
Moderated by Dustin Volz, The New York Times
9:45 AM - 10:15 AM
Mizner Ballroom
OPEN FORUM - A FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY & DRONES
General Paul Nakasone (Ret.), Former Director, National Security Agency
General Chance Saltzman (Ret.), Former Commander, U.S. Space Force
Industry Experts
Moderated by Suzanne Kelly, CEO & Publisher, The Cipher Brief
10:15 AM - 11:00 AM
Mizner Ballroom
THE STATION CHIEF'S PANEL
David Fitzgerald, Former Station Chief, CIA
Paul Kolbe, Former Station Chief, CIA
Ed Bogan, Former Station Chief, CIA
Moderated by Suzanne Kelly, CEO & Publisher, The Cipher Brief
11:00 AM
Mizner Ballroom
WRAP UP AND THANK YOU
Suzanne Kelly - CEO & Publisher, The Cipher Brief
*Sessions and Speakers are Subject to Change. Conference tickets are not refundable on a
case-by-case basis.