Alex Horton

Washington, D.C.

National security reporter focused on the U.S. military

Education: Georgetown University

Alex Horton is a national security reporter for The Washington Post focused on the U.S. military. Alex joined The Post from Stars and Stripes and served in Iraq as an Army infantryman. He has shared two Pulitzer Prizes.
Latest from Alex Horton

Venezuela detains U.S. sailor, officials say

The incident occurred amid an increasingly adversarial relationship between Washington and Caracas.

September 5, 2024
The Pentagon.

7 U.S. troops hurt in dramatic raid that killed numerous ISIS fighters

A military raid in western Iraq killed 15 Islamic State fighters and left seven Americans wounded, U.S. officials said. All are said to be in stable condition.

August 31, 2024
U.S. personnel rest near their armored vehicle at a base south of Mosul, Iraq, in 2017.

Md. Gov. Moore calls false Bronze Star claim ‘honest mistake’ after report

The New York Times reported that when applying for a White House fellowship in 2006, Moore claimed in writing that he was a recipient of the medal.

August 30, 2024
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore at the Democratic National Convention this month.

Trump campaign posts video from Arlington Cemetery after alleged altercation

An NPR source said a cemetery official was pushed and verbally accosted as they tried to block campaign aides from photographing.

August 28, 2024
Former president Donald Trump and Bob Quackenbush, top left, deputy chief of staff for Arlington National Cemetery, watch the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Monday.

U.S. military’s Tinder ad in Middle East raises eyebrows

An advertisement warning that U.S. fighter jets were ready to respond to provocations showed up on a dating app in Lebanon.

August 27, 2024
Séamus Malekafzali, a freelance journalist based in Lebanon, on Thursday encountered a Tinder advertisement purportedly from U.S. Central Command warning against joining Iranian-backed militants. This ad linked to a Central Command post on X, Malekafzali said. (Screenshot by Séamus Malekafzali)

U.S. debates support for Ukraine’s surprise offensive into Russia

Caught unaware by Ukraine’s military incursion into Russia, the Biden administration is debating whether to help Kyiv’s forces hold the sliver of territory they now occupy.

August 23, 2024
A Ukrainian serviceman walks Wednesday near damaged buildings in Sudzha, a city in Ukraine-controlled territory in Russia's Kursk region.

Ex-Army staffer who defrauded Gold Star families sentenced to 12 years

After a Washington Post investigation, authorities pursued counselor Caz Craffy and found he swindled millions of dollars from grieving military families.

August 22, 2024
Sharon Hartz shows a frame the military gave her after her son, Sgt. Thomas F. Anastasio. died in 2019. Hartz said she met Caz Craffy, an Army financial counselor, days after her son's funeral. (Anna Watts for The Washington Post)

U.S. veteran who fled child porn charges now flies drones for Russia

Wilmer Puello-Mota, a veteran who fled the United States in January, has appeared in Russian military propaganda videos touting his experience.

August 20, 2024
Wilmer Puello-Mota in Afghanistan in 2015. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Cierra Presentado/455th Air Expeditionary Wing)

Ukraine, powered by Western arms, stuns Russia in cross-border assault

A surprise Ukrainian attack into Russia’s Kursk region appeared to use Western-donated fighting vehicles. The U.S. offered no objections to the operation.

August 8, 2024
This photo released by the acting governor of the Kursk region Alexei Smirnov's Telegram channel shows a house damaged after shelling by the Ukrainian side in the city of Sudzha in Russia's Kursk region that borders Ukraine.

Tim Walz’s military record, National Guard departure get new scrutiny

The Harris-Walz campaign has cited his military experience as an asset. But Republicans and some who served with him have questioned claims about his service.

August 7, 2024
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz at a campaign event in Philadelphia on Tuesday, his first with Vice President Kamala Harris since being announced as her running mate earlier in the day.