Pentagon for @CNN. Was: Army for @TaskandPurpose. Texan. Christian. E-4 Mafia stan. haley.britzky@cnn.com. DM for Signal.
Apr 14, 2023 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
MORE: A defense official explains that the 102nd Intelligence Wing is responsible for pulling highly classified intel and packaging for combatant commanders — some of the most senior military officers around the globe.
Teixeira worked on the network where that intel lived...
Requiring him to have a TS/SCI clearance.
“It’s not like your regular IT guy where you call a help desk and they come fix your computer,” the official said. “They’re working on a very highly classified system, so they require that clearance.”
Mar 7, 2022 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
Pentagon briefing with a senior defense official just started.
Updates:
- "Nearly 100%" of pre-positioned combat power committed in Ukraine
- 625+ missiles launched since start of invasion
- Air space remains contested
- ~500 US troops ordered to deploy to Europe over weekend
At this point, roughly 100,000 US troops are on rotational or permanent orders in Europe, official says.
Dec 20, 2021 • 13 tweets • 5 min read
Over the last several months I've been reporting out this profile of SMA Michael Grinston — speaking to him, senior leaders who knew him, & soldiers who deployed with him.
I want to highlight a few things that I thought captured him best: taskandpurpose.com/news/sergeant-…
Like the time in Kosovo when he burst down the door on a bunch of lieutenants, early in the morning, who told him they did PT "on their own time."
"No," he said. "You do PT now, with the soldiers."
Oct 1, 2021 • 12 tweets • 3 min read
NEW: Inside the Army's top public affairs office & what some sources described as abusive treatment from its 1-star commander.
This week I spoke to Ryan Schalles, a Marine Corps vet who has been working tirelessly to get his former Afghan interpreter, his wife, and his two children, out of the country.
I'd like to tell you a bit about Omar (not his real name): taskandpurpose.com/news/marine-co…
Omar worked with the Marine Corps from 2011-2012. Recommendation letters from Marines he served with call him “instrumental,” “exemplary,” and “extremely valuable.”
Here's one from a LTC (redacted for his safety):
Jun 17, 2021 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
In at least 3 recent documented instances, the Army has been reluctant to speak w/ media, allegedly withheld facts, or provided false information.
I talked to some current Army public affairs officers, who say it's indicative of a much larger problem: taskandpurpose.com/news/army-publ…
The most recent instance: The AP's report on Monday said the Army "sought to suppress information" and that officials "resisted releasing details" of missing or stolen weapons after the AP started asking 10 years ago. apnews.com/article/govern…
May 3, 2021 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
One of the biggest themes of the report on Friday was how badly Fort Hood/the Army communicated in the wake of Guillén's disappearance.
So badly, in fact, that Gen. Murray suggested the head of Army public affairs "consider new policy and training."
The report mentioned specifically the July 2 press conference with MG Efflandt and CID. One soldier who is unnamed said the press conference "went about as well as it could be expected which is to say it was a train wreck."
Apr 30, 2021 • 11 tweets • 3 min read
THREAD (my last one for today I promise, hopefully): A lot of news today out of the Army's latest report about the investigation of Vanessa Guillén's case.
Let's review, shall we?
The Army confirmed that Guillén was being sexually harassed by a "superior noncommissioned officer in her unit."
NEW: Weeks ago, I set out to answer the question, “What’s going on at Fort Hood?”
That question evolved again and again, and has resulted in what I hope gives another window into who Vanessa Guillén was, what happened to her & what it means for the Army. taskandpurpose.com/news/inside-th…
A little about Vanessa: She had a contagious smile, everyone loved her. She was planning to go to college, maybe Texas A&M, get married, and someday become a mom.
Her sister Lupe told me: “You know how they say no one’s perfect? Vanessa, she was...the definition of perfection."
Mar 29, 2019 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
NEW: Military housing providers have been asking residents to sign NDAs in order to settle housing issues. The services are aware of it & in at least one case with the Navy, the service was the one who suggested it.
THREAD: taskandpurpose.com/patrician-mili…
Davidson, a Marine Corps wife, has been fighting Patrician Management since 2016. She repeatedly said her home’s air ducts had mold — they repeatedly said there was not
When she was pregnant, her doctor said her white blood cell count was too high. He worried she'd lose the baby
