Petraeus’ BLUF: Afghanistan ‘on the right azimuth’
March 15th, 2011 | Outside the wire | Posted by Mike Hoffman
Gen. David Petraeus, U.S. commander in Afghanistan, appears before the Senate Armed Services Committe Tuesday morning on Capitol Hill. (AP photo)
Every military brief starts with one, even four-star generals when they brief Congress on progress in Afghanistan. Here is Gen. David Petraeus’ “bottom line up front” for the Senate Armed Services Committee:
“As a bottom line up front, it is ISAF’s assessment that the momentum achieved by the Taliban in Afghanistan since 2005 has been arrested in much of the country and reversed in a number of important areas. However, while the security progress achieved over the past year is significant, it is also fragile and reversible. Moreover, it is clear that much difficult work lies ahead with our Afghan partners to solidify and expand our gains in the face of the expected Taliban spring offensive. Nonetheless, the hard-fought achievements in 2010 and early 2011 have enabled the Joint Afghan-NATO Transition Board to recommend initiation this spring of transition to Afghan lead in several provinces. The achievements of the past year are also very important as I prepare to provide options and a recommendation to President Obama for commencement of the drawdown of the US surge forces in July. Of note, as well, the progress achieved has put us on the right azimuth to accomplish the objective agreed upon at last November’s Lisbon Summit, that of Afghan forces in the lead throughout the country by the end of 2014.”
OK, time to move along. No need to spend your morning watching CSPAN online. OK, for those fast burners here is the link for the briefing. Cue the senators and their military liaison’s questions.
NCO punished for ordering soldiers who didn’t attend Christian concert to clean barracks
March 9th, 2011 | Army | Posted by Mike Hoffman
BarlowGirl is the band who performed at Fort Eustis’ “Commanding General’s Spiritual Fitness Concert” in May 2010. (Associated Press)
An Army investigation found a staff sergeant was wrong to order soldiers who didn’t attend a Christian rock concert at Fort Eustis, Va., to clean the barracks.
The soldiers said the staff sergeant told 200 men in their barracks they could either attend the May 2010 concert or remain confined there. They were told to not use their cell phones or personal computers and to clean up their living area.
The sergeant “marched a unit over to the Spiritual Fitness Concert thinking he was doing the right thing. He found out a very short time after that, no, that was not the right thing to do. He was corrected,” said Col. Daniel T. Williams, a spokesman for the Army’s Document and Training Command.
Army officials did not say what punishment was handed out to the staff sergeant, who was not named.
Results of the investigation were released a week after organizers complained they had to cancel a concert for agnostics and atheists at Fort Bragg because of a lack of base support. However, Fort Bragg’s base commander said the Rock Beyond Belief concert was canceled because concert organizers thought they would get funding from the base.
“I think it all boils down to money,” said Col. Stephen Sicinski of the organizers’ decision to cancel. “When they say ‘support,’ they’re talking about money.”
Both incidents predictably raised the ire of Mikey Weinstein, Military Religious Freedom Foundation’s director. He said the staff sergeant’s decision to force soldiers who didn’t attend the Christian concert to clean the barracks is “an absolute attempt to establish fundamental Christianity in the military.”
Soldier dies, another arrested playing Russian Roulette
March 8th, 2011 | Army | Posted by Mike Hoffman
An Alaska-based soldier killed himself after he and another soldier played a game of Russian Roulette, according to court documents.
Sgt. Michael McCloskey shot himself in the abdomen at fellow soldier Jacob Brouch’s home after he and Brouch consumed alcohol that evening, according to court documents.
Brouch rushed McCloskey to an Anchorage hospital, where he died. Police later arrested Brouch. He has been charged with second-degree murder and weapons misconduct in the killing of his 26-year-old friend.
The incident sounds a bit like the “Trust Game” strangely popular in the Marine Corps. Russian Roulette is different in that a trust game involves a Marine asking another Marine if he trusts him before pulling the trigger, but they both have led to dead soldiers and Marines.
Is this incident an aberration, or do you know other soldiers who have played Russian Roulette after a night of drinking?
Petraeus to Gates: “Launching attacks on Libya?” Hilarious
March 8th, 2011 | Outside the wire | Posted by Mike Hoffman
Someone please tell the general the defense secretary is wearing a live microphone before he makes another joke about launching attacks on Libya.
Gen. David Petraues said to Defense Secretary Robert Gates: “Flying a little bigger plane than normal — you gonna launch some attacks on Libya or something?”
With a laugh, Gates said “yeah, exactly” upon departing his noticeably larger plane on his visit to Kabul.
Come on, world, what’s a joke between two friends? They’re just America’s two most powerful men in the Defense Department.
Gates could use a laugh after escaping the Beltway, where a certain senator from Arizona would very much like to see President Obama order Gates to set up a no-fly zone over Libya.
Dempsey latest target in McCain’s no-fly zone campaign
March 4th, 2011 | Outside the wire | Posted by Mike Hoffman
Sen. John McCain has made no bones about it. He wants the U.S. to impose a no-fly zone over Libya to keep Col. Moammar Gadhafi’s planes and helicopters from slaughtering the rebels.
However, the senator from Arizona didn’t get the answer he wanted from Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen when they sat before the Senate Armed Service Committee March 2. Gates condemned the “loose talk” about a no-fly zone, which clearly irked McCain.
So when he got his next chance to grill a top U.S. military official, he’d use it to find the answer he wanted. Next up: Gen. Martin Dempsey for his confirmation hearing to be the next Army chief of staff.
First question, senator. Would you like to ask about the service’s end strength or maybe how it might restructure itself into a more mobile force? Nope.
“Prior to the Iraq war there was a no-fly zone imposed as a result of the agreement, the cease-fire, and that went on for, I believe, a decade. Isn’t that correct?” McCain asked.
“Yes, sir,” Dempsey answered.
Next question.
“And we did not take out Iraqi air defense — air defenses, did we?” McCain continued.
“Actually, we did, Senator.” Read the rest of this entry »
Chandler takes enlisted reins of “tired Army”
March 4th, 2011 | Army | Posted by Mike Hoffman
Command Sgt. Maj. Raymond Chandler at his swearing-in ceremony to become sergeant major of the army at the Pentagon March 1. (Chris Maddaloni/Army Times)
Command Sgt. Maj. Raymond F. Chandler III was sworn in as the 14th sergeant major of the Army by Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey at the Pentagon auditorium March 3.
Outside the Wire was lucky enough to briefly catch up with Chandler before he could dig into his massive promotion cake with friends and family.
OTW: What has this day been like and what does it mean to be only the 14th soldier to earn this position?
Chandler: The day has been surreal. We’ve spent time with Sgt. Maj. of the Army Preston and went to his ceremony to see his impact on the army, what he has done, and to be able to say: OK it’s now my turn to continue what and so many others have done. It can be a little overwhelming.
OTW: What do you bring to the job?
Chandler: Thing that I bring is that I served in basically all the facets of the Army. The installation, the institutional Army and the operational Army. So being able to have a basic understand of each of those perspectives and what they need to support soldiers and family is probably the best thing I bring to this position. Read the rest of this entry »
UPDATE: Non-fiction coming to a Iraqi and Afghan PX/BX near you
February 25th, 2011 | Afghanistan Army Iraq | Posted by Mike Hoffman
Another AAFES book shelf, this one at Joint Base Balad, severely lacking in non-fiction books. (Chris Maddaloni/Military Times)
Since returning stateside from Iraq I followed up with Army & Air Force Exchange Service officials to update an earlier post I wrote about the lack of non-fiction books on PX/BX shelves in Iraq and Afghanistan. During the trip photographer Chris Maddaloni and I found only one non-fiction book, an Oprah biography, at Exchanges we visited in Iraq.
As I expected, Judd Antsey, PR manager for AAFES, said his company stocks its shelves in accordance with what troops want.
I still find it hard to believe all soldiers want to read are steamy romance, science fiction and mystery novels, but he said the sales numbers bear it out. Nevertheless, in trying to keep up with troops’ interests, AAFES will start a test next month to see if troops really want to read non-fiction/military books, Antsey said.
Eighteen non-fiction/military titles will be stocked at 44 contingency Exchanges starting in March. After 60 days on the shelves, AAFES will “evaluate sales figures to determine demand for non-fiction titles.”
If non-fiction is what soldiers want, non-fiction is what they’ll get is the message I got from that. So, if soldiers want to see less romance novels and more World War II history books in their Exchanges downrange, put down those iPands and Kindles and buy an old-fashioned paperback.
UPDATE: Gates focuses West Point speech on officer retention
February 24th, 2011 | West Point | Posted by Mike Hoffman
Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrives for a graduation and commissioning ceremony in 2009 at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. (AP photo)
UPDATE: Here is a link to Army Times’ story on the speech. Interesting some of the changes to the promotion and assignment system Defense Secretary Robert Gates suggested for officers.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates will spend the day at West Point tomorrow, according to his spokesman Geoff Morrell. Gates will teach cadets and then address the Corps on the future of the U.S. Army, according to Morrell’s Twitter account @PentagonPresSec.
“SecDef teaching midshipmen at USNA this AM. Tomorrow does same at West Point before delivering speech to entire Corps on future of US Army,” Morrell tweeted at 11 a.m. Feb. 24.
It is unclear what the secretary plans to address beyond the Army’s future. I pinged Morrell via email and will update accordingly if I receive more details before tomorrow’s speech.
Simply speculation, but I can imagine the secretary will address the current fight in Afghanistan, closing out Iraq, and what the Army might look like when it’s not fighting two wars. Of course, this could be completely wrong and he instead talks about how cool it will be when the Army issues every soldier an iPhone. Doubtful, though.
Russian gas masks and Ghost Rider chariots race at Delta
February 22nd, 2011 | Outside the wire | Posted by Mike Hoffman
This chariot built by Heavy Company, 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, is widely seen as best-in-show at COB Delta. (Chris Maddaloni/Army Times)
CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq — Less time outside the wire means more time for cavalry soldiers here to custom design chariots for the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment’s holiday races.
Soldiers here go out on fewer patrols through nearby Al-Kut as part of the agreement signed by Iraq and U.S. officials to end America’s combat mission in Iraq. Thus, soldiers have found new ways to fill their time. Building chariots is probably one of the more productive.
The last race happened over Thanksgiving at COB Delta. Each chariot is soldier propelled and the races extend up to a half mile. The race seems to be less about who wins and more about the pageantry.
How else can you explain one unit’s soldiers donning Soviet Union-era gas masks during the first half of one race? Soldiers found the masks hidden away on base, said Capt. Josh Siefert. The chariot pictured above is clearly not built for speed, however, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment’s Heavy Company, 2nd Squadron’s engineers still built the most bad-ass chariot we saw here.
We want to see more, though. Soldiers here said cavalry units host chariot races throughout the Army so we want to see yours. We’ll post the pictures and hold a vote on the best in the Army. Send them to mhoffman@atpco.com or on Twitter to @_MichaelHoffman.
Guarsdsmen manage the Green Zone’s 5-camel hotel
February 17th, 2011 | Iraq Outside the wire | Posted by Mike Hoffman
Sgt. 1st Class Rene Gonzalez stands outside on the Joint Visitor's Bureau Hotel's patio across from the Al-Faw Palace. (Chris Maddaloni/Army Times)
BAGHDAD — Sgt. 1st Class Rene Gonzalez spent his last Iraq deployment driving mounted patrols in Humvees outside Kirkuk Air Base. In 2004 and 2005, he spent most days seeking out improvised explosive devices and rooting out insurgents.
This deployment, the Idaho Guardsmen is living the high life.
He helps oversee operations at the Joint Visitor’s Bureau Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq. Based inside of one of Saddam Hussein’s old palaces, the hotel is located across a man-made pond from the Al-Faw Palace where U.S. Forces – Iraq is headquartered. Read the rest of this entry »