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: Kyiv Shocker, Gabbard Mess, Kid to Run DHS Counterextremism

2 weeks ago | spytalk.co | Seth Hettena

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New in SpyWeek: Kyiv Shocker, Gabbard Mess, Kid to Run DHS Counterextremism

3 weeks ago | spytalk.co | Seth Hettena

LITTLE MOSSAD: CIA veterans were kvelling over the operation Ukrainian intelligence managed to pull off at multiple sites deep inside Russia that took out a sizable chunk of the Kremlin’s fleet of strategic nuclear bombers. “The Little Mossad is growing up fast,” Marc Polymeropoulos, a former CIA senior operations officer who served in counterterrorism roles in the Middle East, wrote on X.
AI espionage is here-and it found me

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

All posts are free for the first 30 days—then they move behind the paywall. If you value independent journalism that takes a hard look at the military and intelligence worlds, consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5/month. Your support makes this work possible. Paid subscribers get full access to the archives, plus The Ice Man—a deeply reported Substack book about a Navy SEAL platoon that took the fall for a CIA killing.
That Time Chinese Intelligence Tried to Recruit Me

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

All posts are free for the first 30 days—then they move behind the paywall. If you value independent journalism that takes a hard look at the military and intelligence worlds, consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5/month. Your support makes this work possible. Paid subscribers get full access to the archives, plus The Ice Man—a deeply reported Substack book about a Navy SEAL platoon that took the fall for a CIA killing.
New in SpyWeek: More Hegseth Follies and China Spying Worries

4 weeks ago | spytalk.co | Seth Hettena

HEGSETH LEAKS, KEYSTONE COPS EDITION: The White House isn’t happy with a Pentagon leak investigation after an advisor to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed an aide had been outed by a National Security Agency wiretap. Dan Caldwell, a senior adviser to Hegseth, was initially blamed for the leak of an allegedly Top Secret document to a reporter that outlined options for the U.S. military to retake the Panama Canal.
"I will not be silenced": Inside the scandal rocking SEAL Team Four

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

All posts are now free for the first 60 days—then they move behind the paywall. If you value independent journalism that takes a hard look at the military and intelligence worlds, consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5/month. Your support makes this work possible. Paid subscribers get full access to the archives, plus The Ice Man—a deeply reported Substack book about a Navy SEAL platoon that took the fall for a CIA killing.
My Uncle Seymour: A Legacy of Courage and Sacrifice

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

All posts are free for the first 90 days—then they move behind the paywall. If you value independent journalism that takes a hard look at the military and intelligence worlds, consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5/month. Your support makes this work possible. Paid subscribers get full access to the archives, plus The Ice Man—a deeply reported Substack book about a Navy SEAL platoon that took the fall for a CIA killing.
Exclusive: Navy SEALs Confront Racism Allegations After Black Operator Targeted With Offensive Memes

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

All posts are free for the first 90 days—then they move behind the paywall. If you value independent journalism that takes a hard look at the military and intelligence worlds, consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5/month. Your support makes this work possible. Paid subscribers get full access to the archives, plus The Ice Man—a deeply reported Substack book about a Navy SEAL platoon that took the fall for a CIA killing. CORONADO, Calif.
New in SpyWeek: High Drama as Tulsi Nips at CIA, NIC in Bid to Save Agency

1 month ago | spytalk.co | Seth Hettena

TULSI’S GAMBIT TO SAVE ODNI: This week brought a flurry of sudden firings and relocations at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, now helmed by former Hawaii Democrat-turned-Trump loyalist Tulsi Gabbard. Officially, it’s all about “deep state leaks” and “politicization,” but let’s be real—that’s just cover. What’s actually happening? Gabbard is in full turf-defense mode, trying to save her office (and her team) as Trump openly toys with scrapping ODNI altogether.
New in SpyWeek: Greenland Coup Planning. Really?

1 month 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.