Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Hope Seck @hopeseck.bsky.social · 4h

n an emotional letter, Haidari’s widow described the physical effects of his torture at the hands of the Taliban.

“His entire body was black and swollen; he couldn’t even sleep on his back,” she wrote. “He would wake up screaming at night.”

www.armytimes.com/news/your-mi...

Despite Taliban amnesty declaration, killings of US allies persist

Our investigation, in partnership with Lighthouse Reports, identified 110 killings of former Afghan National Defense and Security Forces troops since 2023.

www.armytimes.com

Hope Seck @hopeseck.bsky.social · 4h

No drones for Army squads, teams, 25th Infantry Division leader says www.armytimes.com/news/your-ar...

No drones for Army squads, teams, 25th Infantry Division leader says

Amid a push to put more small drones in soldiers' hands, the Army is learning there’s a ceiling to the number of unmanned systems that units can handle.

www.armytimes.com

Hope Seck @hopeseck.bsky.social · 4h

Despite Taliban amnesty declaration, killings of US allies persist www.militarytimes.com/news/your-mi...

Despite Taliban amnesty declaration, killings of US allies persist

Our investigation, in partnership with Lighthouse Reports, identified 110 killings of former Afghan National Defense and Security Forces troops since 2023.

www.militarytimes.com

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Hope Seck @hopeseck.bsky.social · 1d

Army Korea’s move to longer duty tours to come in stages, general says www.defensenews.com/global/asia-...

Army Korea’s move to longer duty tours to come in stages, general says

The new model will see soldiers accompanied by their families serving a three-year tour in Korea and unaccompanied troops serving two years.

www.defensenews.com

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Hope Seck @hopeseck.bsky.social · 2d

Driscoll goes scorched earth on Army buying inertia www.defensenews.com/land/2025/10...

Driscoll goes scorched earth on Army buying inertia

The Army secretary announced major coming changes to purchasing, parts repairs and technological adoption in a heated address at AUSA's annual meeting.

www.defensenews.com

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Hope Seck @hopeseck.bsky.social · 3d

Weekly shopping under $100. With $20 worth of Halloween candy. #AldiOlympics

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Hope Seck @hopeseck.bsky.social · 10d

The dairy products and meat (1lb sausage, 2 lbs chicken thighs, 3lbs pork) are hidden under vegetables. At any rate, it’s everything we needed for the week, including baby food and a few bonus items.

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Hope Seck @hopeseck.bsky.social · 10d

Kept it under $100. This is my competitive sport

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Jake Tapper, long-suffering Philly sports fan @jaketapper.bsky.social · 12d

On this day in 2009, the 50+ US soldiers at COP Keating awoke to the horrific news that they were under fierce attack by more than 300 insurgents.

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Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 12d

“‘We cannot control who sees what, we cannot see what users are doing, and we cannot verify that the software itself is secure,’ the memo says.”

Anduril and Palantir battlefield communication system has deep flaws, Army memo says

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The much-needed modernization of the U.S. Army's battlefield communications network being undertaken by Anduril, Palantir and others is rife with "fundamental security" problems ...

www.yahoo.com

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Hope Seck @hopeseck.bsky.social · 12d

DoD appears to be pausing all or most media engagements for the duration of the government shutdown. I’ve had two interviews canceled so far.

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Hope Seck @hopeseck.bsky.social · 12d

Navy hits historic recruiting numbers with more ads, tattoo approvals www.navytimes.com/news/recruit...

Navy hits historic recruiting numbers with more ads, tattoo approvals

Fiscal 2025 was the best recruiting year for the Navy since 2002. The head of Navy recruiting credited the feat, in part, to streamlining tattoo approvals.

www.navytimes.com

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Hope Seck @hopeseck.bsky.social · 13d

If loading all my kids in the van and then taking 20 minutes to putter around the house grabbing last minute items, doing dishes and using the bathroom in peace is wrong, I don’t wanna be right.

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Kelly Kennedy @kellyskennedy.bsky.social · 22d

Hegseth orders the end of DACOWITS--said its agenda is "divisive."

"Major themes ... have been prevention of sexual assault and harassment, gender equality and integration, career progression & women’s health and wellbeing."

By @hopeseck.bsky.social

www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/pentago...

Hegseth terminates women’s advisory group, slams ‘divisive agenda’

A Sept. 17 memo signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directs the “formal disestablishment” of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services.

www.marinecorpstimes.com

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Hope Seck @hopeseck.bsky.social · Sep 15

themilitaryreport.com/opinion/the-...

The Gutting of Military.com: From Battle-Tested Journalism to Clickbait Casualty

Let’s not dance around it. Military.com is getting stripped for parts. The veterans’ news site that once punched above its weight—covering Capitol Hill idiocy, Pentagon boondoggles, and VA screwups wi...

themilitaryreport.com

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Reposted by Hope Seck

Jared Keller @jaredbkeller.bsky.social · Sep 15

The best part of leaving media was breaking free from the shackles of Chartbeat

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Karen Tumulty @ktumulty.bsky.social · Sep 10

WaPo exclusive: The National Guard, in measuring public sentiment about Trump’s federal takeover of Washington, D.C., has internally assessed that its mission is perceived as “leveraging fear,” driving a “wedge between citizens and the military.” www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

National Guard collects unfavorable public input on D.C. deployment

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

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Sam Fellman @samfellman.bsky.social · Jul 23

Big props to @hopeseck.bsky.social for her scoop on a terrifying LCAC collision. Many signs of deep troubles:
-Failure to identify constant bearing, decreasing range
-Improper radio comms
-Failure to even slow when crash was imminent taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-lc...

Complacency led to Navy landing craft collision that injured 36, investigation finds

A damning investigation into a head-on collision between two Navy landing craft revealed complacency and unprofessionalism within the unit.

taskandpurpose.com

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Jacob Ware @jacobware.bsky.social · Sep 10

“The April 13 mission made her, along with pilot Capt. Claire ‘Atomic’ Eddins, the Air Force’s first all-female crew of aces – signifying five air-to-air kills.” 🇺🇸 @hopeseck.bsky.social www.militarytimes.com/news/your-mi...

This Air Force WSO became an ace in showdown with Iranian drones

Capt. Carla Nava is the 2025 Airman of the Year.

www.militarytimes.com

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Hope Seck @hopeseck.bsky.social · Jul 21

Marine veteran creates searchable database of global battles www.militarytimes.com/news/your-mi...

Marine veteran creates searchable database of global battles

After noticing that the practice of documenting war was fading, the veteran aimed to capture insights from battles and make them available to scholars.

www.militarytimes.com

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Teresa Eder @tcobserver12.bsky.social · Jul 10

700 diplomats at State are set to be laid off. This amounts to 60% of all foreign service officer currently based in DC. 60%!

State Department to Soon Begin Mass Layoffs www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/u...

State Department to Soon Begin Mass Layoffs

www.nytimes.com

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The Chamberlain Network @chamberlainvets.bsky.social · Jul 10

Outstanding reporting from @hopeseck.bsky.social highlights how domestic missions are pushing the boundaries of what troops signed up for, and sparking a moral reckoning within the ranks.

Thread 🧵:

thewarhorse.org/military-con...

Is This ‘What They Signed Up For?’ New Military Missions Ignite Interest in Conscientious Objectors

Interest in military conscientious objector status surges as service members feel conflicted about the Trump administration's military mission.

thewarhorse.org

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Hope Seck @hopeseck.bsky.social · Jul 7

Army tests robotic coyotes to defend fighter jets www.armytimes.com/news/your-ar...

Army tests robotic coyotes to defend fighter jets

Unmanned ground vehicles mounted with life-size plastic coyotes are one idea proposed as part of a new effort to keep wildlife away from military aircraft.

www.armytimes.com

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jenna newman phd @jennanewman.bsky.social · Jun 23

“The commission has involved veterans from the start, launching a portal where vets could share their stories and questions they wanted answered” — HERE: www.afghanistanwarcommission.org/contact-1

@hopeseck.bsky.social

Afghanistan War Commission hears from vets as it tackles troop surge

The commission will hold a multipanel hearing on what for many is a defining point of the war: President Barack Obama’s troop surge in late 2009.

www.militarytimes.com

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