Putin’s War vs. the U.S.: A Product of the ‘Intelligence State’?
John Sipher
Retired CIA Officer
John Sipher is a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, and the co-founder of Spycraft Entertainment, a production firm providing content to the entertainment industry.
John Sipher is also a foreign policy and intelligence expert and social media influencer. His articles have been published in the New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Politico, Foreign Affairs, Newsweek, Slate, Lawfare, and Just Security, among others. He regularly appears on the PBS NewsHour, CNN, NPR, MSNBC, BBC and speaks to corporate, academic and governmental groups. He is a Senior Advisor to the Lincoln Project, National Security Leaders for Biden, the Steady State and the Council on American Security.
John Sipher retired in 2014 after a 28-year career in the Central Intelligence Agency’s National Clandestine Service. At the time of his retirement, he was a member of the CIA’s Senior Intelligence Service, the leadership team that guides CIA activities globally. John served multiple overseas tours as Chief of Station and Deputy Chief of Station in Europe, Asia, and in high-threat environments. He has significant experience working with foreign and domestic partners to solve national security challenges. John also served as a lead instructor in the CIA’s clandestine training school and was a regular lecturer at the CIA’s leadership development program. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal.
John also worked from 2014-2019 as a consultant for McChrystal Group and CrossLead, a software and services firm.
John is from Cortland, NY and graduated from Hobart College. He has a Master’s in International Affairs from Columbia University. At Hobart, he was the captain of the four-time national champion lacrosse team. He has attended a variety of executive courses at Harvard University, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, The Aspen Institute, and the Intelligence Community’s Executive Leadership program.