Cedric Leighton

Cedric Leighton is a retired US Air Force Colonel and a CNN Military Analyst. In this capacity he provides on-air commentary on military and international security issues to CNN’s US and international audiences. His analysis of the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza as well as the civil war in Syria has been an integral part of CNN’s coverage since the start of those conflicts. He is also a founding partner of CYFORIX, a cyber risk and security solutions consultancy and the Chairman of Cedric Leighton Associates, LLC, a global strategic risk consultancy.

In addition to CNN, Colonel Leighton has appeared on numerous global television and radio networks, including PBS, the BBC, Australia’s Seven Network, Australia’s ABC Radio, CCTV (China), RCN and Radio W of Colombia, Al Jazeera, ARD (German TV), Bloomberg, CNBC, Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, MSNBC, Sky News (UK) and TRT (Turkish TV). He has been quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, France’s Le Figaro, Correio Braziliense, Portugal’s Expresso and Spain’s La Razon as well as C4ISR Magazine and ADS Advance. Colonel Leighton has written for several publications, including The Hill and Leadership Excellence Magazine.

Prior to founding his strategic risk consultancy, Colonel Leighton served for 26 years as an Intelligence Officer in the US Air Force. During this period, he deployed five times to the Middle East, served at US Special Operations Command, directed specialized intelligence efforts during combat operations, witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall, was a Squadron Commander and served twice at the Pentagon. During his first tour at the Pentagon, Colonel Leighton served on the Air Staff, where he was the Executive Officer to the US Air Force’s Director of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance as well as the Intelligence Directorate’s Liaison to the US Congress. During his second tour at the Pentagon, Colonel Leighton served on the Joint Staff, where he became the Deputy Director for Warfighter Support and Integration within the Intelligence Directorate. His last military assignment was as the Deputy Training Director for the National Security Agency, where he championed training initiatives for the nation’s cyber warriors.

His awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Bronze Star, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, seven Meritorious Service Medals and the Humanitarian Service Medal. He was a Distinguished Graduate of the US Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps and received the Joint Specialty Officer designation.

Colonel Leighton graduated magna cum laude from Cornell University and holds a Master’s Degree in International Studies from Angelo State University.