Ellen Nakashima

Washington, D.C.

National security reporter

Education: City University, London, MA in international journalism; University of California at Berkeley, BA in humanities

Ellen Nakashima is a national security reporter for The Washington Post. She covers intelligence and national security issues. She has written about the security aspects of the U.S.-China relationship, the west's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and classified intelligence leaks. She has been a member of three Pulitzer-prize winning teams at The Post, including in 2022 for an investigation of the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, in 2018 for digging into Moscow’s efforts to influence the 2016 election, and in 2014 for exploring the hidden scope National Security Agency surveillance.
Latest from Ellen Nakashima

Biden tightens tech controls on China as clock ticks down

The new rules pack less punch than they might have because of delays and pressure from industry and allies, officials say privately.

December 3, 2024
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, seen here speaking on Capitol Hill last year, called the new export controls “groundbreaking and sweeping.”

Top senator calls Salt Typhoon ‘worst telecom hack in our nation’s history’

The severity of the Chinese breach highlights the need for more telecommunications regulation, lawmakers say.

November 21, 2024
Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Virginia) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) at a hearing on worldwide threats on March 8, 2023.

President-elect Donald Trump is now receiving intelligence briefings

Trump took regular intelligence briefings during his first term but has a history of being cavalier with classified information.

November 19, 2024
President Donald Trump speaks in 2017 at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.

Biden approves Ukraine’s use of long-range U.S. weapons inside Russia, reversing policy

The Biden administration will allow Kyiv “limited” use of the ATACMS long-range missile system to strike enemy positions in Kursk, a significant reversal of U.S. policy.

November 17, 2024
U.S. soldiers conduct live-fire testing of early versions of the Army Tactical Missile System in December 2021 at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

Go bags, passports, foreign assets: Preparing to be a target of Trump’s revenge

Some prominent critics of Donald Trump, and those he has vilified as “deep state” saboteurs, are taking seriously his vow of retribution.

November 14, 2024
Then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump holds a rally at Madison Square Garden in New York on Oct. 27.

Trump picks Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence

Gabbard, an Army Reserve officer whose antiwar views are seen as sympathetic to Moscow, is considered an unconventional choice to lead U.S. spy agencies.

November 13, 2024
Former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) greets Donald Trump on stage during an event in Detroit on Aug. 26.

CIA official Asif Rahman arrested in leak of secret files on Israel

Asif Rahman, a CIA official, was arrested in Cambodia and charged with two counts of violating the Espionage Act for leaking secret intelligence documents on Israel.

November 13, 2024
The CIA seal in the lobby of the agency's headquarters in McLean, Virginia.

Trump appointees signal a new hawkish China policy

Trump’s potential appointees Marco Rubio, Mike Waltz and Elise Stefanik at State Department, National Security Council and United Nations signal a hawkish China policy.

November 13, 2024
U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 29, 2019.

Trump appoints John Ratcliffe as CIA director

John Ratcliffe, the former Texas congressman and director of national intelligence in Trump’s first term, is in line to head the premier all-source spy agency.

November 12, 2024
John Ratcliffe, former director of national intelligence, speaks during a House subcommittee hearing in April 2023.

Trump talked to Putin, told Russian leader not to escalate in Ukraine

President-elect Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday and discussed the war in Ukraine, according to people familiar with the call.

November 11, 2024
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Osaka, Japan, in 2019.