Alex Horton
LightNews LightNews
banner
alexhorton.bsky.social
Alex Horton
@alexhorton.bsky.social
11K followers 410 following 110 posts
Military reporter at The Washington Post. Iraq veteran. Signal: alexhorton.85
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
alexhorton.bsky.social
Alex Horton @alexhorton.bsky.social · Feb 15
I cover the U.S. military and the Pentagon for @washingtonpost.com. Send secure tips and story ideas on Signal:

signal.me#eu/ES70l_cAl...
Signal Messenger Contact
Follow this link to message on Signal.
signal.me
alexhorton.bsky.social
Happy Veterans Day to all the NDSM recipients, the true heroes after KBR 🫡
November 11, 2025 at 5:11 PM
alexhorton.bsky.social
Trump’s suggestion of military action in Nigeria met reality with AFRICOM, which expressed doubts that a military response to violence would do anything.

Free to read: wapo.st/3JECubO
Inside AFRICOM headquarters, the flash priority from Washington and the instructions to start planning for a potential operation were unexpected, according to two people familiar with the matter. Personnel were already working long hours trying to bring home an American missionary kidnapped last month in neighboring Niger, and AFRICOM officials were concerned that the U.S. lacked the intelligence and assets to support expanding operations to Nigeria, one of the people familiar said. Senior leaders recommended staying focused on the hostage situation, the person said, because it was already a priority and “of greater value than anything that can be achieved” in Nigeria right now.
November 9, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Reposted by Alex Horton
drewharwell.com
National Guard personnel focused on nuclear disasters and terrorist attacks will instead be given riot-control gear and sent into cities, a sign that Trump military deployments into urban centers "could become the norm" wapo.st/433N9Dk @alexhorton.bsky.social @davidovalle.bsky.social
Pentagon readying thousands of Guard ‘reaction forces’ as U.S. mission widens
The Defense Department’s newly established “quick reaction force” within the National Guard is being readied for civil unrest missions in U.S. cities.
wapo.st
October 30, 2025 at 1:27 PM
alexhorton.bsky.social
Q: What are the Pentagon’s military objectives in the Western Hemisphere, and how do the strikes help reach that outcome?

A: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
While Trump and Hegseth have said the attacks are aimed at stemming the flow of narcotics to the U.S., it is unclear what effect the strikes will have on cartel bosses who have outfoxed drug enforcement for decades. The U.S. “will track them, we will network them, and then, we will hunt and kill them,” Hegseth said Tuesday of the suspected traffickers, using the language of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he served as an infantry officer. U.S. commanders throughout numerous administrations touted killing low-level militants as a measure of success that ultimately proved elusive. The Pentagon declined to further describe its operations in the Western Hemisphere. “The Department will not discuss military strategy with the media,” Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said.
October 28, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Reposted by Alex Horton
bcfinucane.bsky.social
Pleased to speak to @alexhorton.bsky.social for @washingtonpost.com about the disposition of the survivors from the latest U.S. strike in the Caribbean.

Repatriating them appears to have been the least worst option from the administration’s standpoint.

www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
U.S. to repatriate survivors of drug boat strike to Colombia, Ecuador
It is unclear if the two surviving alleged drug smugglers have any links to Venezuelan criminal organizations.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 18, 2025 at 9:05 PM
alexhorton.bsky.social
Correct. This story would have violated the Pentagon’s new restrictions had we signed it.
matthewhaybrown.bsky.social M🍁tthew Hay Br🏈wn @matthewhaybrown.bsky.social · Oct 16
A fine example of a story that would require the Pentagon’s approval under the new media policy that The Post and others refused to sign

Strong work from @alexhorton.bsky.social and @samueloakford.bsky.social
washingtonpost.com The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · Oct 16
Exclusive: The U.S. military’s elite Special Operations aviation unit appears to have flown in Caribbean waters less than 90 miles from the coast of Venezuela in recent days, according to a visual analysis by The Post.
October 16, 2025 at 4:19 PM
alexhorton.bsky.social
Exclusive: Special Operations helos, flying in a configuration best suited for ground assaults, were less than 90 miles from Venezuela last week. Official says they were training.

www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
U.S. Special Operations helicopters near Venezuela expand Caribbean mission
U.S. Special Operations helicopters flew within 90 miles of Venezuelan territory, according to a Post analysis. Trump authorized CIA covert action inside the country.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 16, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Reposted by Alex Horton
devonheinen.bsky.social
JUST IN via @washingtonpost.com's Noah Robertson, @taracopp.bsky.social, @alexhorton.bsky.social & @danlamothe.bsky.social:

"Military leaders voice concern over #Hegseth's new Pentagon strategy"
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Military leaders voice concern over Hegseth’s new Pentagon strategy
Top military officials have voiced concern over the Trump administration’s forthcoming defense strategy, exposing a divide between the Pentagon’s political and uniformed leadership.
www.washingtonpost.com
September 30, 2025 at 12:09 AM
alexhorton.bsky.social
If you’re attending this event or have insight to share, I’d like to hear from you. Get in touch on Signal at alexhorton.85 or click here signal.me#eu/ES70l_cAl...
September 28, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Reposted by Alex Horton
alexhorton.bsky.social
Do you know what this meeting is about? Get in touch on Signal: signal.me#eu/ES70l_cAl...
September 25, 2025 at 3:09 PM
alexhorton.bsky.social
Do you know what this meeting is about? Get in touch on Signal: signal.me#eu/ES70l_cAl...
September 25, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Reposted by Alex Horton
brendanamartin.bsky.social
Former Army officer Jason Dempsey:

“That is such a suboptimal use of military training that we should all be asking, ‘Why are they here?’ If they’re picking up trash, they’re not here for a security emergency. There’s no clearer metric than that.”

www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
National Guard documents show public ‘fear,’ troops’ ‘shame’ over D.C. presence
Internal documents reviewed by The Post reveal, with rare candor, how domestic missions rooted in politics risk damaging Americans’ trust in the military.
www.washingtonpost.com
September 10, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Reposted by Alex Horton
jfallows.bsky.social
Great story by @alexhorton.bsky.social in @washingtonpost.com . www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Read the whole thing but here's a sample.
Story that says: >In another update, the Guard indicates troops “continue efforts to restore and beautify public spaces across the District” and have “cleared 906 bags of trash, spread 744 cubic yards of mulch, removed five truckloads of plant waste, cleared 3.2 miles of roadway, and painted 270 feet of fencing.” >Those statistics may be among the most consequential takeaways of Trump’s use of the military in D.C., Dempsey said, and should prompt scrutiny of whether this mission was ever necessary in the first place. >“That is such a suboptimal use of military training that we should all be asking, ‘Why are they here?’” Dempsey said. “If they’re picking up trash, they’re not here for a security emergency. There’s no clearer metric than that.”
September 10, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Reposted by Alex Horton
verambergen.bsky.social
NEW: Trump’s ‘Law and Order’ Push in D.C. Looks a Lot Like an Immigration Raid www.wsj.com/us-news/trum...
www.wsj.com
August 21, 2025 at 1:37 AM
alexhorton.bsky.social
Shout out to the OG posters at the Rotten Tomatoes message boards, my primary source of news when I was skipping school on 9/11
longlead.com Long Lead @longlead.com · Jul 3
@alexhorton.bsky.social is a national security reporter for the @washingtonpost.com. But before he was a journalist, he blogged throughout his experience fighting in the Iraq war, giving an unprecedented view of being on the frontlines.

He shares his story in episode 2 of BREAKING THE INTERNET.
LONG SHADOW: BREAKING THE INTERNET episode two cover with blue screen overlaid on a flash mob
July 3, 2025 at 4:22 PM
alexhorton.bsky.social
I joined @longlead.com @vermontgmg.bsky.social to discuss blogging the Iraq war while fighting it, DoD sanitizing combat and anemic lawmakers failing oversight of Middle East operations. Good thing those days are over!

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...
Establishing Connection
Podcast Episode · Long Shadow · S4 E2 · 49m
podcasts.apple.com
July 1, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Reposted by Alex Horton
washingtonpost.com
A Washington Post review found that in at least seven major departments or agencies, DOGE secured the power to view records that experts say could benefit Elon Musk’s businesses for years.
DOGE has the keys to sensitive data that could help Elon Musk
In at least seven major departments or agencies, DOGE secured the power to view records that experts say could benefit Elon Musk’s businesses for years.
www.washingtonpost.com
June 30, 2025 at 1:40 PM
alexhorton.bsky.social
The case of the disappearing SECDEF www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Navigating Iran crisis, Trump relies on experience over star power
As President Trump weighs military actions against Iran, officials and advisers say that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and DNI Tulsi Gabbard have been sidelined.
www.washingtonpost.com
June 19, 2025 at 1:38 AM
Reposted by Alex Horton
airwars.bsky.social
1/ NEW: As the U.S. appears on the brink of another war, Airwars reveals dangerous precedent for civilians set by Trump’s Yemen campaign

trump-yemen.airwars.org/operation-ro...
Trump nearly doubled U.S. civilian casualty toll in Yemen | Airwars
The Trump administration killed almost as many civilians in Yemen in 52 days as the previous 23 years of U.S. action
trump-yemen.airwars.org
June 18, 2025 at 11:12 AM
Reposted by Alex Horton
stevenbeynon.bsky.social
SCOOP: Guardsmen deployed to LA aren't on formal orders, thus aren't set up to be paid or get healthcare yet

www.military.com/daily-news/2...
Guard Soldiers Deployed in Trump's LA Crackdown Aren't Getting Paid Yet
According to more than a dozen Guardsmen across four units who spoke to Military.com, none has received formal activation orders, the critical paperwork that not only authorizes their duty status, but...
www.military.com
June 11, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Reposted by Alex Horton
tmgneff.bsky.social
One thing worth pointing out, the real war is less about the reality of it, and more of an aesthetic palate of which these participants pick from. Whether that’s the type of uniforms, body armor etc.
May 28, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Reposted by Alex Horton
tmgneff.bsky.social
Americans cosplaying as Russian soldiers in the middle of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is a strange sight to behold, but checks out. Many Americans were disconnected from their own 20 year war.

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/28/u...
Why Americans Are Dressing Like Russian Troops in Oklahoma
www.nytimes.com
May 28, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Reposted by Alex Horton
washingtonpost.com
Sgt. Quandarius Stanley suffered a brain injury in last year’s Gaza pier mission. His recovery was cut short by his unexpected and mysterious death.
Injured near Gaza, dead at VA: A soldier’s mother searches for answers
Sgt. Quandarius Stanley suffered a brain injury in an accident on last year’s mission to build a pier off Gaza. His death months later in a VA hospital has his family asking questions.
www.washingtonpost.com
May 26, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Reposted by Alex Horton
johnismay.bsky.social
For Memorial Day, with thanks to Karl Marlantes, Jan Scruggs, Dave Walden, Kate Tealdi, the volunteer guides and everyone elese who shared their story about The Wall. Photos by Rod Lamkey, Jr. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/26/u...
50 Years After Saigon’s Fall, ‘the Wall’ Reflects and Collects a Nation’s Trauma
www.nytimes.com
May 26, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Reposted by Alex Horton
shaneharris.bsky.social
Injured near Gaza, dead at VA: A soldier’s mother searches for answers. A shocking story from @alexhorton.bsky.social about a soldier who slipped through the cracks, and whose death remains unresolved. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Injured near Gaza, dead at VA: A soldier’s mother searches for answers
Sgt. Quandarius Stanley suffered a brain injury in an accident on last year’s mission to build a pier off Gaza. His death months later in a VA hospital has his family asking questions.
www.washingtonpost.com
May 26, 2025 at 6:04 PM