Suzanne Kelly: Inside view of U.S. national security priorities

How do US intelligence agencies view and prioritize the panoply of threats facing the country? Suzanne Kelly shares insights from her extensive knowledge and contacts built up over her career as an intelligence correspondent at CNN and as the founder and CEO of the Cipher Brief- a leading publication focused on national security. In conversation with her former CNN colleague Lonzo Cook, Suzanne dissects the long term, multipronged challenges presented by China, ranging from industrial espionage and squabbles over access to advanced computer chips to a burgeoning rivalry in space-based platforms. Suzanne highlights America is developing its offensive and defensive cyber capabilities and explains how US intelligence agencies responded to high profile hacks such as Solar Winds. We also discuss what Hollywood get right and wrong about the working of US intelligence agencies in films like Zero Dark Thirty.

While the US intelligence community has long resembled an old boys club to the outside world, Suzanne explains that women have long held important positions behind the scenes and are increasingly in senior leadership positions. Noting that women within intelligence agencies are now playing a more public role we go on to discuss how a diversity of viewpoints leads to better intelligence analysis and decision making.

Suzanne Kelly is the founder, CEO and publisher of The Cipher Brief, a national security focused media organization. She's also a former CNN intelligence correspondent and executive producer.