▶Oct 9, 2026Protecting Your Church: How to Recognize Threats and RespondWatch episode →Observe
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Clarity in a noisy world.
Reporting, analysis, and conversations designed to help you understand what matters most.
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Featured Update · September 2026
Hamza bin Laden Was Declared Dead. Al-Qaeda Just Put Him Back on Camera.
I warned years ago that Hamza bin Laden survived the operation in which the U.S. government said he was killed. On September 10, al-Qaeda released footage of Hamza recorded in Kandahar on August 13, 2021, two years after that announcement.
This is not a new assessment. The new release gives readers a chance to follow the reporting trail from the earlier investigation to what al-Qaeda is showing us now.
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Written assessments from the Watch Floor: what changed, why it matters, and what I am watching next.
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▶Oct 9, 2026Protecting Your Church: How to Recognize Threats and RespondWatch episode →
▶Oct 7, 2026The Enemy You Think You Know: Lessons from October 7thWatch episode →
▶Oct 6, 2026What’s on My Reading List | Intelligence, Terrorism, Preparedness & SecurityWatch episode →The operational picture
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Elsewhere on the board
Current work
Recent published work and analysis beyond the Briefing Room.
Strategy · Networks & Ecosystems
An Evolved Counterterrorism Strategy
A framework for moving beyond group-by-group disruption toward the shared ecosystems, facilitators, logistics, finance, and technical support that allow threats to regenerate.
Read on the site
Image: The Daily WireThe Daily Wire · Analysis
Teen Terrorists: Why The Turn To Radical Ideology Is Starting Earlier Than Ever
A Daily Wire analysis by Sarah Adams examining why radicalization is reaching younger audiences and what the shift means for threat awareness and prevention.
Read the articleNeed to Know
Three ways to read the picture.
This is where I separate the event from the indicator and the headline from what it may mean next.
What changed?
The behavior, movement, relationship, or capability that makes a development worth watching.
Why does it matter?
The history and connections that explain why the signal means more than the headline alone.
What comes next?
The assumptions to test, the gaps to watch, and the decisions that may follow.
Featured Collaboration · The Daily Wire
Is History Repeating Itself?
What happens in Afghanistan does not stay in Afghanistan.
Twenty-five years after 9/11, the Taliban is once again in control of Afghanistan, al-Qaeda has returned to its former safe haven, and terrorist networks are rebuilding infrastructure and relationships there.
In this documentary collaboration with The Daily Wire, I returned to Afghanistan to examine what has come back, what we may be missing, and why events there have consequences far beyond its borders.
Watch the documentaryA Milestone · January 2026
The Watch Floor in the Top 10
Within weeks of its January 2026 launch, The Watch Floor with Sarah Adams reached the Top 10 on Apple Podcasts’ U.S. Top New Shows chart. The podcast appeared in three consecutive weekly Associated Press rankings, reaching No. 6 on January 20 and holding that position on January 27.
See the Associated Press chartRESEARCH CITEDIEEEAnalysis Paper 76/2025
Research reference · December 2025
Cited in Spain’s defense studies analysis
Afghanistan’s Importance in the Spread of Daesh-K, by Rahman Nabil and José Ignacio Castro Torres, discusses my assessment of the Abbey Gate attack and cites coverage of HKIA: Know Thy Enemy. The paper was published through Spain’s Higher Center for National Defense Studies (CESEDEN) and Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies (IEEE).
Interviews & Appearances
Conversations from other watch floors.
Recent podcast, television, and video appearances.
The Daily Wire · Wired In Live
The Daily Wire · The Isabel Brown Show
The Tudor Dixon PodcastSarah Adams Warns of Foreign Influence in U.S. ElectionsWatch the conversation →
The 11 O’Clock Hour · Sierra ClairIran, Syria, China and More with CIA Veteran Sarah AdamsWatch the conversation →
The Andrew Klavan Show
Keeping It Real with Jillian Michaels
The National Desk
The Ben Shapiro ShowAn ISIS Supporter Just Tried to Bomb the New York CapitolWatch the conversation →
Recent appearance · Sep. 2026Conversation with Sarah AdamsWatch the conversation →
Recent appearance · Sep. 2026Conversation with Sarah AdamsWatch the conversation →
Explore the guest podcast archive
In print
In Print · Policy Wire
Exclusive Battle Damage Assessment: CIA Veteran Sarah Adams Details Pakistan’s Airstrikes in Afghanistan
Policy Wire cites Sarah Adams’s assessment of Pakistan’s September 21 strikes in Afghanistan, including the reported militant casualties and the importance of accurate coverage…
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Sean Gallup/Getty ImagesIn Print · The National Desk / Local 12
Former CIA Officer Warns U.S. Shift Leaves Gaps as Al-Qaida Regroups in Afghanistan
Twenty-five years after 9/11, Sarah Adams discusses the danger of counterterrorism gaps as U.S. attention shifts toward great-power competition and al-Qaida rebuilds in Afghanistan.
Read the interview
In Print · Christopher F. Rufo
Should We Continue Striking Iran?
Christopher F. Rufo interviews Sarah Adams about the Iran war, the U.S.–Israel relationship, and how she assesses the changing situation.
Read the interview
In Print · The European Conservative
U.S. and Iran Agree on Two-Week Ceasefire
The European Conservative includes Sarah Adams’s public analysis of U.S.–Iran negotiations and escalation risks.
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In Print · LibyaReview
US Analyst Credits LNA Operations With Blocking Terrorist Stronghold in Libya
LibyaReview covers Sarah Adams’s commentary on the LNA campaign against extremist groups in eastern Libya.
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In Print · 97.3 The Dawg
Ex-CIA Officer Warns Known Terrorist Operating in Louisiana
97.3 The Dawg covers Sarah Adams’s public warning concerning suspected terrorist activity in Louisiana.
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Image: supplied by Sarah AdamsIn Print · The Libya Update
Ex-CIA officer bombshell: Benghazi terrorists run Dbeibah government and Walid Ellafi is accused of killing Americans
The Libya Update reports on Sarah Adams’s Benghazi research and quotes her claims about figures linked to the attack holding positions inside Libya’s Government…
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Interview · The European Conservative
Syria’s Al-Qaeda-Linked Regime Targets Kurds in Ethnic Cleansing
An analysis featuring Sarah Adams on the actors, networks, and warning signs surrounding violence against Kurdish communities in Syria.
Read the interview
Prison bars · Jobs For Felons Hub / CC BY 2.0In Print · Newsmax
Sources: Taliban May Have Set Up Former Afghan Intel Officer
John Rossomando quotes Sarah Adams regarding Jaan Shah Safi, Taliban intelligence reporting to the United States, ISKP, and the danger of Taliban disinformation.
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Image: supplied by Sarah AdamsIn Print · Hasht-e Subh Daily
Reactions to the Taliban’s Public Executions: A New Wound on the Already-Wounded Society of Afghanistan
Hasht-e Subh includes Sarah Adams’s response to Taliban public executions and her criticism of continued U.S. financial support.
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Image: supplied by Sarah AdamsIn Print · Hasht-e Subh Daily
Why Was Lakhanwal Labeled a “Refugee” Rather Than an “American-Trained Veteran”?
Hasht-e Subh cites Sarah Adams’s account of Rahmanullah Lakhanwal’s background in Afghan counterterrorism forces trained by the United States.
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In Print · El Media
CIA Report Details on the Attack Against the Taliban Leader and His Security Structure
El Media reports on Sarah Adams’s analysis of the alleged attempt against the Taliban leader and his protective network.
Read the articleBrowse the complete In Print archiveEvery press reference in one searchable collection →
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