Seth Hettena

San Diego

Writer at Freelance

Contributing Editor at Rolling Stone

Writer at The Ice Man

National security journalist, author, dad | Send me tips on Signal @ seth_hettena.11

Articles

New in SpyWeek: Greenland Coup Planning. Really?

4 days ago | spytalk.co | Seth Hettena

TARGET: GREENLAND: Yes, the giant ice cube with more reindeer than people is now a top-tier U.S. intelligence priority. No, it’s not the plot of a Hollywood B-movie. The Wall Street Journal reported that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard issued a classified “collection-emphasis message” to U.S. intel chiefs, asking them to look up anyone in Greenland who might be open to Trump’s strange obsession with the frigid island.
Nachos, Greed, and the Medal of Honor

1 week ago | theiceman.substack.com | Seth Hettena

This article is available to all, but please consider upgrading your subscription for $5/month. In addition to making my writing here sustainable, you’ll get full access to my archive and The Ice Man, a book I’ve published on Substack about a Navy SEAL platoon that took the fall for a CIA murder.
The After-Action Report by Seth Hettena

2 weeks ago | theiceman.substack.com | Seth Hettena

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New in SpyWeek: Signalgate-Still, More

2 weeks ago | spytalk.co | Seth Hettena

SIGNALGATE PART DEUX: This week has been a near-daily series of revelations about Signalgate and how cavalier Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been with the nation’s secrets. On Friday, The Times reported that Hegseth’s personal phone number—the one linked to his Signal account—was easily found on the Internet and in public apps, leaving a trail that a foreign intelligence service could easily exploit.
KAOS Reigns Supreme

2 weeks ago | spytalk.co | Seth Hettena

Jeff Stein and Michael Isikoff are back discussing the ongoing chaos within the Trump administration's national security apparatus, highlighting the recent firings at the NSC and Pentagon, the implications of using unsecured communication methods, and the bold actions taken by Ukraine against Russia.
New in SpyWeek: CIA Leaks, Peeks, Sneaks

3 weeks ago | spytalk.co | Seth Hettena

INTEL LEAK ON IRAN ATTACK PLAN: The New York Times reported that Israel planned to strike Iranian nuclear sites as soon as next month, but was waved off by President Trump in recent weeks in favor of negotiating a deal with Tehran to limit its nuclear program.
New in SpyWeek: Trump's Loomer Swoon Hits NSC, NSA, CIA; Musk's China Tangle

1 month ago | spytalk.co | Seth Hettena

Welcome to SpyWeek, our weekly newsletter, where we look at news from the intersection of intelligence, foreign policy, and military operations. LOOMERED: It’s our job here at SpyWeek to tell what happened in the intelligence world last week, but let’s pause for a minute to consider what didn’t happen. No one was fired for Signalgate.
New in SpyWeek: Amateurs Hour

1 month ago | spytalk.co | Seth Hettena

Welcome to SpyWeek, our weekly newsletter, where we look at news from the intersection of intelligence, foreign policy, and military operations. SIGNALGATE: By now, you all know the story: Senior White House and cabinet officials discussed plans for an airstrike on Yemen via the Signal messaging app, and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz mistakenly invited a journalist to the party.
New in SpyWeek: JFK Duds, CIA Rollbacks, FBI Shakeup, Musk & China Flap

1 month ago | spytalk.co | Seth Hettena

JFK FILES: The first tranche of some nearly 80,000 pages of documents related to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy hastily dumped online this week revealed a handful of old secrets but created a fresh hell for those caught in the chaos of unchecked Trumpian “transparency.” President Trump’s surprise announcement on Monday that the documents would be released the next day set off a scramble by officials to review the files for any potential harm.
New in SpyWeek: Trump Fools with US Intelligence

2 months ago | spytalk.co | Seth Hettena

INTEL STICKS & CARROTS: It was painfully clear this week, if it wasn’t already, that the Trump administration is using intelligence the same way it is using tariffs, university grants, and weapons assistance: as a cruel lever to get its way. The intelligence freeze the administration placed on Ukraine last week was lifted Tuesday, but only after the beleaguered country bent the knee to Trump.