Mike Hoffman

Petraeus' BLUF: Afghanistan 'on the right azimuth'

By Mike Hoffman on March 15, 2011 Outside the wire

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…

NCO punished for ordering soldiers who didn't attend Christian concert to clean barracks

By Mike Hoffman on March 9, 2011 Army

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…

Soldier dies, another arrested playing Russian Roulette

By Mike Hoffman on March 8, 2011 Army

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…

Petraeus to Gates: "Launching attacks on Libya?" Hilarious

By Mike Hoffman on March 8, 2011 Outside the wire

[HTML1] 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…

Dempsey latest target in McCain's no-fly zone campaign

By Mike Hoffman on March 4, 2011 Outside the wire

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…

Chandler takes enlisted reins of "tired Army"

By Mike Hoffman on March 4, 2011 Army

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…

UPDATE: Non-fiction coming to a Iraqi and Afghan PX/BX near you

By Mike Hoffman on February 25, 2011 Afghanistan, Army, Iraq

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…

UPDATE: Gates focuses West Point speech on officer retention

By Mike Hoffman on February 24, 2011 West Point

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.…

Russian gas masks and Ghost Rider chariots race at Delta

By Mike Hoffman on February 22, 2011 Outside the wire

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.…

Guarsdsmen manage the Green Zone's 5-camel hotel

By Mike Hoffman on February 17, 2011 Iraq, Outside the wire

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.

Author Mike Hoffman