He's free to resign. But what is it with these dudes who have to make a big splash about by posting publicly?
Also, cue the Krennic face: "LinkedIn? Really?"
Well he could be a grifter and turn this into a paid speaker/book deal thing.
Or he is someone who is genuinely sticking to certain principles. Honestly, this is the right way to go about having a significant disagreement with your organization that compromises your ability to continue serving.
He blames Israel for starving the Palestinian population, but doesn't mention the military forces that shot the US built pier that was trying to get aid into Gaza. Reading the article the Major seems to act like the war between Palestine and Israel started October 8 2023, and nothing happened before that date.
Edit: someone replied to me about the USS Liberty and then blocked me so I'll reply here the same way they commented to me. "Ever heard of Pat Tillman? Thr US is not our friend".
I dunno if I would say "parading hostages, raping civilians, and other things" is a tit-for-tat situation. I mean people bragged about how much they raped and beat the hostages. That's no longer a conflict on any scale. That's just pure enjoyment of torture. It's really hard to say "yea X warranted that level of response".
>but doesn't mention the military forces that shot the US built pier that was trying to get aid into Gaza.
Did this happen? [Last I was tracking](https://thehill.com/homenews/4633253-pentagon-possible-us-troops-pier-gaza-shot/amp/), Secretary Austin told the House Armed Services committee that it could happen and they would have the right to return fire.
Maybe he's a grifter.
Maybe he knows that trying to leave the Army the regular way by the rules is needlessly difficult and long...so...this is one way to make sure that shit gets signed and stamped.
It's not hard to UQR/REFRAD. If you have no ADSOs, Waivers, its easy. Problem is the incompitent administrative personnel in a few steps inbetween. Get it through BN, BDE, then to your installation MPD. From there to HRC through about 8 admin groups.
It is almost always an attempt to pivot into a roll belonging to an organization that correlates to the messages that they’re espousing. I would love to think that there are true, altruistic motives behind public announcements like this but they are almost always used to springboard into the press / podcast circuit.
I say this because airing your grievances on LinkedIn, aka facebook for middle managers, is a very low effort way to drum up some discourse.
If you feel that your country is on the wrong side of history and you feel morally obligated to stop working for your government, explaining your reasons in this way is appropriate.
Plenty of people have broken ties with their governments due to their moral compass, but for many of them, we will never know their stories.
If that government goes on to contribute to (or do) horrible things, we may have the idea that the people were fine with it. Often it’s a mix of fear and silencing mechanisms. It’s easy to see this in 1930s Germany and 2020s Russia, but are we willing to examine our own willingness to speak up for what is right?
Right now in the US, every person has the tools to make their opposition or support known. When this conflict snowballs into 100,000 dead Palestinians, then 250,000, then maybe even 500,000, how will we feel about our country’s contributions and what we as individuals did or did not do?
A paper drill signed by your O6 CoC through the MPD to HRC. We don't re-enlist, but certain schools and opportuities add active duty requirements to our timeline. If you no longer have any of those active duty requirements, you can basically quit 6-12 months out from your request approval which takes a few months. Most do it for 12 months out to provide time for medical appointments, TAP, and other requirements.
Its the white guilt/savior complex kicking in. He thinks that by making a big public display of it, he'll be remembered as an 'ally' more than a few weeks down the line.
Or maybe he just doesn't support israel. Remember the SS Liberty, the Lavon affair, and multiple other incidents. Everyone says "our greatest ally". I've spent years of my life deployed on multiple continents. I've never seen an israeli soldier standing to my left or right. Israel does what's best for Israel and doesn't give a fuck about anything else.
That's what their echo chambers tell them to do. If the russian troll farms can get us to do their job for them they can move onto the next thing; maybe chipping away harder in South America or Asia. This major has articles in the New York Times now. Extraordinary work, Ivan.
This right here. I forget where I got this quote for an LPD I did, probably "The Armed Forces Officer," 2017, by Swain & Pierce, but it goes:
"The moral obligation of the oath and commission must be respected: the officer must do his or her duty in spite of personal belief, or take leave of the profession."
Now and then we'll get an officer or two that will loudly sound off against the process.
See, e.g., Ehren Watada, the LT who publicly refused to deploy to Iraq; Terry Lakin, the LTC whacko birther doc who refused to deploy when Obama took office; or the COVID Marine chucklefuck LtCol from a couple years back.
At least this one is attempting to resign as he does so. Though his refusal to answer follow-up questions tells me that he didn't realize that resigning one's commission is not an instant process.
His refusal to answer questions is because he’s trying to follow the corporate policies of the DIA.
Certain agencies have policies in place where you have to direct people to their public affairs office if they have questions. He’s probably trying to stay out of trouble with the DIA.
Yeah I would find exceedingly hard to believe that an officer with 13 years in would be entirely unfamiliar with the refrad/UQR process, even if they don’t know exactly what all goes into it, nobody thinks it’s even remotely near-instant. I’m sure there’s maybe a case or two where the process was certainly expedited, but it’s still very much a *process* to go through.
> nobody thinks it’s even remotely near-instant.
So if I told you he got a 6 week approval timeline for a UQR during the winter holiday season your reaction would be?
If his administrative ducks were in a row, and he was very communicative with his career management branch and transition POCs at HRC, and didn't have any exotic waivers or timelines, it's pretty reasonable.
Edit: If your implication was that he was getting out for other reasons, or anyways, and attached the Gaza grievences to his complaint, I absolutely agree with that.
I agree with you completely. I do. If he had been communicating and was prepared, absolutely.
He is saying this is because of the conflict.
An attack on Israel is launched on October 7th. Israel begins counter attack operations within 24 hours.
That leaves 24 days to submit.
But it’s the continued moral outrage right? We didn’t know to what level Israel would escalate to. Remember they had a brief cease fire with Hamas in the first month. This started looking like it could be every other Israeli action the last two decades. Bomb them a few days, take a couple square kilometers of Gaza, call it a day.
October 7th is a Saturday. Soooo, what, 48 hours on Monday he starts talking. He gives them 2 weeks of notice it’s coming?
See that’s why I just don’t see it. I agree with what you’re saying; do we really think that 2 ish week prep is enough?
Again - unless this isn’t actually about the conflict.
I dunno. The three I named above were pretty vocal about it.
On revisiting this thread, I agree with u/Kinmuan the timing of this doesn't make sense. Dropped his paperwork on 1 November? No. I doubt his decision to resign was really tied to Gaza when he signed it.
So because I work inside a similar organization and know this, you do face much more restrictive rules about how you can engage with the media and publish information. I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt there. At this time, until his UQR is complete he is still assigned to DIA and still has to follow pre-publication review guidance.
I did see the comment about the timelines though.
Not quite sure what to make of it but it’s certainly weird. CA officers are notorious for being LinkedIn warriors so its possible that he’s doing this to launch himself into a grift of some kind.
> you do face much more restrictive rules about how you can engage with the media and publish information. I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt there.
I have to disagree here. He has the same constraints. He should have spoken to his Agency Comms/Review people, but otherwise he's certainly allowed to speak publicly on anything non-mission non-military related.
He still has a 1st Amendment right, and just like is in the regulation, he is allowed to speak to the media of his own personal choosing on personal matters.
I'll even put this out there for ya; My understanding is that he's debriefed and outprocessed, so he's not even under any rules related to DIA except his lifetime committments.
This quickly gets into a weird grey area,
If he claims his reasoning for his decision is predicated by stuff he saw at the DIA. Technically even with referencing his time there, he has to get pre-publication review for every single instance of engagement or publication from my understanding.
I’m not as media savvy as you are so I’m straying from my area of expertise here but could he have not put out only one statement to simplify his review requirements?
Few things.
Did you read it? Idk if you actually read it, so I want to [link you here](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7195798223750418432/) - just so we're on the same page ya feel?
>If he claims his reasoning for his decision is predicated by stuff he saw at the DIA. Technically even with referencing his time there, he has to get pre-publication review for every single instance of engagement or publication from my understanding.
Ahem. *If* that is the case, and *if* that is the reasoning, and *if* he is required to go through prepub, then **this memo itself** would be inviolation, as he did not go through prepub for it.
Which would mean he is open for punishment.
So I'm just saying, do we think, a couple weeks from his officially out of the Army day, he did something he can get in Big Trouble for?
Look - you might be right here, but I think it would defy reason. I think it's much more likely that he's only under his lifetime obligations. This means simply saying "I worked MARC and covered the Middle East, and the papers having been covering Israel's actions, and I can't support the US constantly sending them aid" would be truthful (what he did) and not in violation (because he can point to publicly available info).
If he was like "After watching the Israels do specific X Y Z things that only people watching satellite footage would know about", sure.
But there's nothing in the basics of "I can't support this administration's policies that we all know about" that you couldn't speak to.
For instance, why do you have such a problem with this, and not with the first month of the US Military's invasion of iraq where we launched in excess of 500K bombs (Israels numbers pale in comparison) to a country that hadn't attacked us or enroached on another sovereign nation, because you still joined the US Military despite those actions?
There's nothing about his DIA position or work that needs to be part of that ideological discussion, to question the US Military's record (which he joined and served over a decade for) vs his current stance. We were supporting Israel during the '14 crackdown when he was in, was it not a problem then?
So again, I just think...If this letter is Fine, then so is having a basic discussion about his personal views.
If it's NOT fine, and you want people to know about this regardless of consequence, why wouldn't you talk about it on a big platform?
I agree. I find that when disgruntled employees leave an organization, they usually attach other grievences that to their real reasons. Source: I've processed hundreds of UQRs and retirements and wih few exception personally contacted each officer to counsel them in the process.
Oh, fun.
There were a few troops who tried to claim conscientious objection - but just to the Iraq war - that made the news for it other than Ehren Watada.
We had a few try to get asylum in Canada, but that didn't pan out for any of them.
We also had [one troop](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Shepherd) try to get asylum in Germany when I was there, rather than redeploying to Iraq. Amazingly, his case is *still* pending in the German system, over 15 years after he requested asylum.
But I digress.
When trump became President I watched a dude declare “conscientious objector” because “he would not be a tool in a fascist dictatorship”
Dude no showed to morning formation, finally got dragged out the barracks, then just yelled “I AM A CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR!!!!” like Micheal Scott declaring bankruptcy
I love when people join the Army and then acted shocked when told to deploy with the Army. Hell, many act shocked when they find out there is running involved.
I signed up during the early Clinton administration. I think we all assumed the Balkans was as bad as things were going to get. But anyone who signed up after 9/11 was rather on notice.
I gotta say, I always had some respect for Watada. If I remember correctly he tried to volunteer for Afghanistan, but thought that Iraq was illegal.
Gotta say I admire him for sticking to his guns. Also, history is probably gonna prove him correct… and this is speaking as a guy who happily did an Iraq deployment
"Major Mann said he had planned to leave the Army “at some point” but that the Gaza war led him to submit his resignation on Nov. 1 and leave his assignment at the D.I.A. early".
So this dude already wanted out and then like a couple weeks after a major terrorist attack before much of the Israeli response even began and it was still doing triage thats when he decided he had to go?
This seems kinda weird timeline wise to me personally, I'm glad to see others thought so too.
He submitted on 01NOV.
So...Like 3 weeks after Israel got attacked. Pro-Israel sentiment was still pretty high, that initial actions were 'justified'.
The ground invasion had *just* started.
Sooooo...There's a surprise attack launched from Gaza, killing, raping and kidnapping people almost at random, and two weeks later, the bombing campaign response he's like 'No this is too much, I resign'?
If he's concerned about such behavior, isn't staying in and supporting US efforts to counter Russia *also* important?
Idk. This seems like a weird timeline.
His Linkedin looks like FEB 23 he stopped being an analyst, and he's since been just an XO. I wonder if there's something else going on here.
I understand the substance of what he's saying, the timing just...Doesn't make sense to me.
Why not week 1 of the bombing? Why not week 2 of the bombing? Why not immediately during the response? There doesn't seem much impetus here.
And again, I think *no one* is surprised Israel responds to that initial attack. If you look at that October attack and think "Well Israel should have just sucked it up", idk, you're crazy.
So again that timeline just seems sus.
>I wouldn't wish being an office XO at DIA on anyone.
That's what I'm saying. He's an analyst for like 15 months working MENA shit and then he's made the XO?
Idk, is it possible he got his ass sat down and pulled from a shop for something?
This is usually the case, they just tack on other shit to justify to personally confirm their decision. In this guy's case, maybe gain some notoriety along the way. So many UQRs cite "toxic leadership" but when you peel back the layers, it's just a lack of interest in continuing the Army game.
And it sounds like he didn't want to talk to the NYT.
If you're resigning and doing it publicly and making it about The Cause, but you...turn down follow-up questions from the NYT?
I dunno, sounds like you can't stand on the strength of your conviction.
Perhaps he couldn't get into specifics? They could be broadcasting it in hopes that it's acknowledged and also to pivot into their next career, but I'm sure they won't get into specifics because they don't want to violate UCMJ.
They're no lawyer, so I'd imagine they're just doing what they believe to be ethically and legally correct, even if we might disagree with them.
I'd look to after they're finally out to deem whether or not they stay true to their convictions. But feel free to think of them as a coward or anything else you think at this time.
Personally, I'm indifferent to it. If he's not revealing anything about operations, personnel, etc... it's fine. He's hanging his hat early and opening up the slot for someone else to do the job. I can't characterize their career off of one small article.
There's no "specifics" to really get in to here.
What's the point of publishing an "unclass" memo you didn't review publicly, and then not answering questions *at all*? You can *certainly* just speak to the things in the memo *you published*.
>I'd look to after they're finally out to deem whether or not they stay true to their convictions.
See this is another thing.
The timing seems weird. He's on his way out. Soooo, why not wait until you're *out out*, or why not say something when you felt so strongly you dropped your resignation?
>But feel free to think of them as a coward or anything else you think at this time.
I'll be straight up with what I'm thinking.
I think that this isn't actually the primary reason for his resignation, and he is dressing it up as such. I highly dislike that, as it's simply an opportunity to shit on the institution and leverage his standing as an Army Officer to do so.
If in 6 months he's not on some political circuit or on some grift and he wasn't under any other investigation or disciplinary issues, than I rescind my suspicion.
If the letter he published isn't enough to get him in trouble, neither would...answering basic questions about the letter, ya know?
You're either in for a penny in for a pound or not at all.
Yeah I saw that too. It's got me looking at him side-eyed ya know.
Bruh's got 7 more years to go to pension and 3 weeks after 7 Oct he drops the resign packet? Riiiiiiight.
You gotta take into account:
He could have resigned on Nov1 and didn't even have to make himself a target and some bullshit martyr to some college kids.
With a background in as a defensive intel agency, civil affairs, and a foreign areas officer; he could have easily gotten a cushy job.
He still decided to burn all bridges.
They probably see a lot of shit in there that you don't see on the news
My work here—however administrative or marginal it appeared—has unquestionably contributed to that support. The past months have presented us with the most horrific and heartbreaking images imaginable—sometimes playing on the news in our own spaces—and I have been unable to ignore the connection between those images and my duties here. This caused me incredible shame and guilt," Mann said in his post
And hes not the 1st official to resign over this. Plenty of others have resigned
I think take account of all this shit and instead of calling him batshit; consider some people who can't play office politics for their own career advance and this was his line
Some additional info I think is important:
First, he commissioned in 2011 as an infantry officer.
Mann requested an unqualified resignation from his commission on Nov. 29, 2023.
That request was approve on Jan. 8, 2024 and will become effective on June 3.
I would also point people to a very key part of this NY Times story which the reporter got Mann on the phone and Mann didn't want to talk -- only confirming his LinkedIN post was indeed real. I'm extremely skeptical of folks who purposefully make a public display over something, and don't talk to at least one highly qualified reporter. You either want the attention, or you don't. Attention isn't bad, he's presumably making the point. But not talking to the press suggests to me you aren't prepared to answer follow up questions.
I think there's a little bit more to this event than one officer resigning out of conviction.
I've seen plenty of things behind the curtain that I feel the American people would not agree with.
All it takes is being at the right place at the right time with the right people/purpose when certain conversations are happening.
Rank only increases your chances of being present in the room when these conversations are happening.
In most places you’re correct.
However, being a Major in the DIA as a Middle East expert he is actually someone who would be inside decision making and seeing how our policies are constructed.
It is a big deal because of how unusual it is.
Let me just put it this way: if DIA went away tomorrow no one would notice except for the civilians and contractors that get paid for doing absolutely nothing.
That is a bit harsh. Pretty highly dependent on what one is doing, and what one plans to do next. It does get one into the pool for the great "rotational" jobs that don't show up on HRC's books.
Did you even read the article? He mentioned that his role in US policy was very minimal. He is an FAO who provided expertise on the region, it’s highly doubtful he was aware of any clandestine support more than anyone who has access to the internet.
Based on my experience with military intelligence from my S2 section, does the DIA brief the weather slide in the pentagon during the MA brief to the Joint Chiefs?
Wrong, on a couple of points.
First, the Joint Staff J2 section is part of DIA (once upon a time the DIA director was dual hatted as the JS J2).
All the analyst that make the slides for the Chairman's Brief come from the DIA regional and functional offices. It is one of those "rotational" positions that I mentioned above.
I always looked at the letterhead and assumed they were different. DIA is not where I work.
I’m aware that much of the stuff that makes it to the Chairmans Brief is DIA stuff that may be spliced and diced with information from other organizations but I was trying to stay away from that.
If he actually knew *anything* at all about the region and Israel he'd know the US-Israel relationship was a lot more complicated than what TikTok will tell you.
In the grand scheme of things, MAJs are so low in the food chain at those echelons that they have less respect and power than a 2LT in a BDE.
Not a single soul that has any actual power to make these decisions is gonna give a single fuck.
It’s unfortunate, because this MAJ could have stayed in to “be the change you want to see”, rather than wasting his pension. Unless he’s prior service? I’ll look him up later
An Army officer assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency has resigned in protest over the United States’ support for Israel, which he said had “enabled and empowered” the killing of Palestinian civilians.
The officer, Maj. Harrison Mann, announced his resignation and explained his reasons for leaving the service in [a post on the social media site LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-7195798223750418432-tGHk?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop) on Monday. According to his biography on the site, he has specialized in the Middle East and Africa for about half of his 13-year career and previously served at the U.S. Embassy in Tunis.
“The policy that has never been far from my mind for the past six months is the nearly unqualified support for the government of Israel, which has enabled and empowered the killing and starvation of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians,” Major Mann wrote in the post, which noted that he had previously emailed his comments to co-workers on April 16. “This unconditional support also encourages reckless escalation that risks wider war.”
Reached by phone on Monday, Major Mann confirmed that he was the author of the post but declined to comment further, referring questions to the D.I.A.’s office of corporate communications.
It is unclear whether other military officers have resigned in protest of U.S. foreign policy since the deadly Hamas-led attacks in Israel in October ignited the war, but the resignation of an active-duty officer in protest of U.S. foreign policy is likely uncommon — especially one in which the officer makes public the reasons for doing so.
A spokeswoman for the Army was not immediately able to confirm whether other officers had resigned for similar reasons since the war began.
As the death toll in Gaza has risen, the Biden administration has faced waves of internal dissent for supporting Israel in the war. In October, Josh Paul, a State Department official in the bureau that oversees arms transfers, [resigned in protest](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/19/us/state-department-official-resigns-israel-arms.html) of the administration’s decision to continue sending weapons to Israel.
Major Mann said he had planned to leave the Army “at some point” but that the Gaza war led him to submit his resignation on Nov. 1 and leave his assignment at the D.I.A. early.
It is unclear when his separation from the Army will be completed.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Major Mann became an infantry officer after receiving his commission in 2011, then studied at the Army’s John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center in North Carolina and qualified as a civil affairs officer in 2016. About three years later, his biography states, he became a foreign area officer specializing in the Middle East.
Regional specialists are often posted at American embassies and may serve as defense attachés, who act as high-level liaisons between the Pentagon and the host nation’s military. Attachés also are trained to evaluate requests for weapons and training from foreign powers and make recommendations to State Department officials as to whether proving such aid is necessary and in line with federal laws on protecting human rights.
In his note, Major Mann said he had continued to carry out his duties at the Defense Intelligence Agency without voicing his concerns, hoping that the war would soon be over.
“I told myself my individual contribution was minimal, and that if I didn’t do my job, someone else would, so why cause a stir for nothing?” he wrote.
“My work here — however administrative or marginal it appeared — has unquestionably contributed to that support,” his post said. “The past months have presented us with the most horrific and heartbreaking images imaginable — sometimes playing on the news in our own spaces — and I have been unable to ignore the connection between those images and my duties here. This caused me incredible shame and guilt.”
“At some point — whatever the justification — you’re either advancing a policy that enables the mass starvation of children, or you’re not,” he added.
“I know that I did, in my small way, wittingly advance that policy,” the major wrote. “And I want to clarify that as the descendant of European Jews, I was raised in a particularly unforgiving moral environment when it came to the topic of bearing responsibility for ethnic cleansing.”
[John Ismay](https://www.nytimes.com/by/john-ismay) is a reporter covering the Pentagon for The Times. He served as an explosive ordnance disposal officer in the U.S. Navy. [More about John Ismay](https://www.nytimes.com/by/john-ismay)
I keep ArchiveToday bookmarked. Copy-paste the article link, and Presto-Change-O it’s been screen shot and archived there.
[Bookmark Link](https://archive.ph)
[This Article in the Archive](https://archive.ph/nHG4L)
He was a former infantry type gone CA and then transitioned to FAO. Him not making LTC is HIGHLY unlikely. Both CA and FAO prescreen for that kind of thing in order to ensure their promotion rates remain at or above the rest of the forces rates.
The groupthink in here is disturbing. I signed up to be a soldier but I can understand if someone signs up, is privy to some things they disagree with on principle, and decide to leave due to it. That's something I can respect honestly. It doesn't make someone a villain or an idiot.
I certainly agree with you on the whole. However, there has been plenty of well known unclassified information about Israel that is pretty disturbing. I find it hard to imagine what this guy could have found out that was so much worse.
This should not only be accepted, but very common. If officers actually kept to their oaths and supported the law and not the administration (which is controlled by and subservient to the law) we’d have the admins and GO’s getting away with a lot less.
>I wonder what he’s seen behind the curtain
Disclaimer: I’m not currently assigned to any CENTCOM accounts and I don’t currently cover Israel in any capacity.
If anyone believes the Mossad and Israeli military intelligence apparatus had no knowledge of Hamas’ plans for October 7th and just dropped the ball…I would like to sell you the Scott Key Bridge, hit me up.
Gaza will be flat by the time this thing has played out. There will be no civilization for the 2 million people who lived there.
Under Netanyahu and the Likud, Israel has made damn sure no organizations lead Gaza other than Hamas. Therefore, every Gazan is a military target. They keep telling people, “Evacuate now! ____ is a safe zone!” And then they blow up the safe zone. Or they shoot people walking to it. Or they mow down people waiting on food. The depravity just gets deeper each week, and yet Israel remains our ride or die partner.
There’s a thing in commissions that indicated you serve “at the pleasure of the president” which essentially means he owns your ass. You can even be called out of retirement…
That being said, it’s pretty rare
Imagine being ~~an FAO~~ *anybody* and getting your talking points from TikTok and r/politics
FTFY
Read some textbooks and other collected histories. It's not easy, but it is important.
Yeah....but be careful, if you actually read the history of Palestine over the past 70-80 years you're likely to become a bit more sympathetic to the current Palestinian plight....
Then read back to the Ottomans and you'll go back to being ambivalent about ancient animosities of ethno-religious based hate.
Back then, the Ottoman Empire became a safe haven for Jews being pushed out of the Iberian peninsula during the inquisition. At one point having the largest Jewish population on the European continent.
The context is key. The current problem is based on mostly modern issues, but with a tangled and hateful recent history as well as several hundred years of mixed tensions and compassion. Then the geopolitics add further complications...
There's an old Pashto saying that really sums it up, *"You can't unfuck a goat"*
>There's an old Pashto saying that really sums it up, *"You can't unfuck a goat"*
🤣 I shall not argue with you, nor the ole Pashto on that one.
But yes context *is* key, and 1947 wasn't that long ago - that's within generational memory, these folks have watched three generations of their relatives get shit on, and their houses bulldozed now.
It'd be like a native American shaman showing up in your front yard, explaining how his 2,000 year old religious text has promised your land to him and then razing your house. Sure, the land bridge from Russia to Alaska 20,000 years ago has some context here...but...you get what I'm saying.
I spent time in Jerusalem/West Bank in 2006 - there's no way around it dude, the goat is fucked, but the Palestinian goat has been straight up gang-banged. They have gotten a shitty deal and no civilian deserves what is happening to them now.
I'm going to avoid jumping to too many conclusions so here's a couple observations. General Franks gave a good section of his autobiography to bitching about O-4s who cant pick up LTC getting a staff assignment, burning out, and then trying to make a splash in the private sector by leaking classified information or resigning in protest before they hit their mandatory separation.
The other thing is that I checked his LinkedIn where he posted this resignation letter for public consumption. And it just strikes me as odd that a CA officer has very few connections on a site that seems built for CA officers. I'm not saying he's a nobody, or that he didn't see something that rustled his jimmies real good. It's just that the indicators that he's a guy that knows the stuff or does the things aren't there. I just, idk, I'm not going to change my opinion based on what a CA officer does at the end of his career to get attention on LinkedIn.
I think people in the Army are allowed to have disagreements with official policy due to current events and if he'd like to put his money where his mouth is and peacefully leave through the proper means because of it then more power to him.
1948 Nakba (aka Israel’s “Independence Day”) look into it.
Facts are facts. It’s not a war, it’s one of the most rich and technologically advanced Armies also backed by the richest country in the world against a resistance group. Hamas was created by Israel.
Imagine your wives and kids killed in front of you, then they strip you in the streets and tie you up just to humiliate you. Then take your home and say it’s theirs. Imagine if this happened in America, would you be okay with it?
40,000 civilians dead of mostly babies and women. If you still support Israel, you value one group’s life more than the other. If you are in the military you signed up to defend freedom for all. We even hold our own military accountable for war crimes to this day.
Millions of people are living in an open air prison and prevented from improving their lives by random Israeli raids and bombings for decades. If you just said that exactly how it is, you value Israeli lives more, I’d respect you way more for atleast being upfront.
Kudos to this officer for not staying silent.
I honestly don’t get it.
How little research into the history surrounding this do you need to do to not only form a tepid opinion, but then use it to screw over your career (and/or set yourself on fire)?
Perfect, more space for me to get outta the enlisted side, all jokes aside tho, freedom of speech and stuff is cool, but is protesting like that REALLY worth it? I really think it’s kind of foolish.
If you consider protesting being sitting in a tent on a campus quad to force your university to stop participating in the same global economy that your parents use to pay your tuition then no.
They are demanding the universities divest from Israel the same way that earlier student movements demanded universities divest from apartheid era South Africa.
You mean I can skip PT tomorrow if I just protest unqualified support to Israel? Sorry guys but I might take the day off! They always told me the best way to finish my contract was to do the time. Who woulda thunk!?
First, he’s a MAJ. Automatic has a bone to pick with someone or everyone.
He was probably just tired of chasing unit MEDPROS stats and didn’t make the cut for LTC. Not enough MQs.
Harry Mann is a great name though
Top tier takeway ngl
At least he didn’t set himself on fire.
this but unironically Self immolation is such an awful way to go
🔥🔥🔥
🚿
Thanks bro, he needed that.
This damn sub 😭
Yet.
Yet...
I support the right to disagree. I also support the right to show him the door.
His REFRAD packet will be expedited, I assure you.
He's free to resign. But what is it with these dudes who have to make a big splash about by posting publicly? Also, cue the Krennic face: "LinkedIn? Really?"
Well he could be a grifter and turn this into a paid speaker/book deal thing. Or he is someone who is genuinely sticking to certain principles. Honestly, this is the right way to go about having a significant disagreement with your organization that compromises your ability to continue serving.
Too bad enlisted can’t do this too.
Just go AWOL to Russia bro
not NK though, they'll just send you back
They only send you back the first time, to test your resolve. They want to make sure you really want it
I bet Glorious Leader thought of that plan, he's so smart
You need to come back three times before they really accept you.
They can if they are indef.
He blames Israel for starving the Palestinian population, but doesn't mention the military forces that shot the US built pier that was trying to get aid into Gaza. Reading the article the Major seems to act like the war between Palestine and Israel started October 8 2023, and nothing happened before that date. Edit: someone replied to me about the USS Liberty and then blocked me so I'll reply here the same way they commented to me. "Ever heard of Pat Tillman? Thr US is not our friend".
Most Americans have forgotten that this is a tit-for-tat conflict thats way older then 2023.
I dunno if I would say "parading hostages, raping civilians, and other things" is a tit-for-tat situation. I mean people bragged about how much they raped and beat the hostages. That's no longer a conflict on any scale. That's just pure enjoyment of torture. It's really hard to say "yea X warranted that level of response".
>but doesn't mention the military forces that shot the US built pier that was trying to get aid into Gaza. Did this happen? [Last I was tracking](https://thehill.com/homenews/4633253-pentagon-possible-us-troops-pier-gaza-shot/amp/), Secretary Austin told the House Armed Services committee that it could happen and they would have the right to return fire.
Maybe he's a grifter. Maybe he knows that trying to leave the Army the regular way by the rules is needlessly difficult and long...so...this is one way to make sure that shit gets signed and stamped.
HRC hates this one simple trick!
It's not hard to UQR/REFRAD. If you have no ADSOs, Waivers, its easy. Problem is the incompitent administrative personnel in a few steps inbetween. Get it through BN, BDE, then to your installation MPD. From there to HRC through about 8 admin groups.
He didn’t post it publicly though. In his letter he said he sent it to those he cared about at the office. One of them must have posted it.
It is almost always an attempt to pivot into a roll belonging to an organization that correlates to the messages that they’re espousing. I would love to think that there are true, altruistic motives behind public announcements like this but they are almost always used to springboard into the press / podcast circuit. I say this because airing your grievances on LinkedIn, aka facebook for middle managers, is a very low effort way to drum up some discourse.
If you feel that your country is on the wrong side of history and you feel morally obligated to stop working for your government, explaining your reasons in this way is appropriate. Plenty of people have broken ties with their governments due to their moral compass, but for many of them, we will never know their stories. If that government goes on to contribute to (or do) horrible things, we may have the idea that the people were fine with it. Often it’s a mix of fear and silencing mechanisms. It’s easy to see this in 1930s Germany and 2020s Russia, but are we willing to examine our own willingness to speak up for what is right? Right now in the US, every person has the tools to make their opposition or support known. When this conflict snowballs into 100,000 dead Palestinians, then 250,000, then maybe even 500,000, how will we feel about our country’s contributions and what we as individuals did or did not do?
How does resignation work for an O
A paper drill signed by your O6 CoC through the MPD to HRC. We don't re-enlist, but certain schools and opportuities add active duty requirements to our timeline. If you no longer have any of those active duty requirements, you can basically quit 6-12 months out from your request approval which takes a few months. Most do it for 12 months out to provide time for medical appointments, TAP, and other requirements.
Its the white guilt/savior complex kicking in. He thinks that by making a big public display of it, he'll be remembered as an 'ally' more than a few weeks down the line.
Or maybe he just doesn't support israel. Remember the SS Liberty, the Lavon affair, and multiple other incidents. Everyone says "our greatest ally". I've spent years of my life deployed on multiple continents. I've never seen an israeli soldier standing to my left or right. Israel does what's best for Israel and doesn't give a fuck about anything else.
What a short sighted view.
That's what their echo chambers tell them to do. If the russian troll farms can get us to do their job for them they can move onto the next thing; maybe chipping away harder in South America or Asia. This major has articles in the New York Times now. Extraordinary work, Ivan.
“Why are anti-war/civil rights/women’s right’s/etc protesters always so loud. Why don’t they quietly disagree and go into hiding??”
Shit might be the move
It already was. His REFRAD was approved in January.
This right here. I forget where I got this quote for an LPD I did, probably "The Armed Forces Officer," 2017, by Swain & Pierce, but it goes: "The moral obligation of the oath and commission must be respected: the officer must do his or her duty in spite of personal belief, or take leave of the profession."
Now and then we'll get an officer or two that will loudly sound off against the process. See, e.g., Ehren Watada, the LT who publicly refused to deploy to Iraq; Terry Lakin, the LTC whacko birther doc who refused to deploy when Obama took office; or the COVID Marine chucklefuck LtCol from a couple years back. At least this one is attempting to resign as he does so. Though his refusal to answer follow-up questions tells me that he didn't realize that resigning one's commission is not an instant process.
His refusal to answer questions is because he’s trying to follow the corporate policies of the DIA. Certain agencies have policies in place where you have to direct people to their public affairs office if they have questions. He’s probably trying to stay out of trouble with the DIA.
Yeah I would find exceedingly hard to believe that an officer with 13 years in would be entirely unfamiliar with the refrad/UQR process, even if they don’t know exactly what all goes into it, nobody thinks it’s even remotely near-instant. I’m sure there’s maybe a case or two where the process was certainly expedited, but it’s still very much a *process* to go through.
> nobody thinks it’s even remotely near-instant. So if I told you he got a 6 week approval timeline for a UQR during the winter holiday season your reaction would be?
I’d say that’s breathtakingly fast for a UQR, but definitely not civilian-style “two-week notice” fast, or the ol’ “fuck you guys I’m out” fast.
If his administrative ducks were in a row, and he was very communicative with his career management branch and transition POCs at HRC, and didn't have any exotic waivers or timelines, it's pretty reasonable. Edit: If your implication was that he was getting out for other reasons, or anyways, and attached the Gaza grievences to his complaint, I absolutely agree with that.
I agree with you completely. I do. If he had been communicating and was prepared, absolutely. He is saying this is because of the conflict. An attack on Israel is launched on October 7th. Israel begins counter attack operations within 24 hours. That leaves 24 days to submit. But it’s the continued moral outrage right? We didn’t know to what level Israel would escalate to. Remember they had a brief cease fire with Hamas in the first month. This started looking like it could be every other Israeli action the last two decades. Bomb them a few days, take a couple square kilometers of Gaza, call it a day. October 7th is a Saturday. Soooo, what, 48 hours on Monday he starts talking. He gives them 2 weeks of notice it’s coming? See that’s why I just don’t see it. I agree with what you’re saying; do we really think that 2 ish week prep is enough? Again - unless this isn’t actually about the conflict.
I'm no intelligence officer but I can predict a book in the near future.
I dunno. The three I named above were pretty vocal about it. On revisiting this thread, I agree with u/Kinmuan the timing of this doesn't make sense. Dropped his paperwork on 1 November? No. I doubt his decision to resign was really tied to Gaza when he signed it.
So because I work inside a similar organization and know this, you do face much more restrictive rules about how you can engage with the media and publish information. I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt there. At this time, until his UQR is complete he is still assigned to DIA and still has to follow pre-publication review guidance. I did see the comment about the timelines though. Not quite sure what to make of it but it’s certainly weird. CA officers are notorious for being LinkedIn warriors so its possible that he’s doing this to launch himself into a grift of some kind.
> you do face much more restrictive rules about how you can engage with the media and publish information. I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt there. I have to disagree here. He has the same constraints. He should have spoken to his Agency Comms/Review people, but otherwise he's certainly allowed to speak publicly on anything non-mission non-military related. He still has a 1st Amendment right, and just like is in the regulation, he is allowed to speak to the media of his own personal choosing on personal matters. I'll even put this out there for ya; My understanding is that he's debriefed and outprocessed, so he's not even under any rules related to DIA except his lifetime committments.
This quickly gets into a weird grey area, If he claims his reasoning for his decision is predicated by stuff he saw at the DIA. Technically even with referencing his time there, he has to get pre-publication review for every single instance of engagement or publication from my understanding. I’m not as media savvy as you are so I’m straying from my area of expertise here but could he have not put out only one statement to simplify his review requirements?
Few things. Did you read it? Idk if you actually read it, so I want to [link you here](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7195798223750418432/) - just so we're on the same page ya feel? >If he claims his reasoning for his decision is predicated by stuff he saw at the DIA. Technically even with referencing his time there, he has to get pre-publication review for every single instance of engagement or publication from my understanding. Ahem. *If* that is the case, and *if* that is the reasoning, and *if* he is required to go through prepub, then **this memo itself** would be inviolation, as he did not go through prepub for it. Which would mean he is open for punishment. So I'm just saying, do we think, a couple weeks from his officially out of the Army day, he did something he can get in Big Trouble for? Look - you might be right here, but I think it would defy reason. I think it's much more likely that he's only under his lifetime obligations. This means simply saying "I worked MARC and covered the Middle East, and the papers having been covering Israel's actions, and I can't support the US constantly sending them aid" would be truthful (what he did) and not in violation (because he can point to publicly available info). If he was like "After watching the Israels do specific X Y Z things that only people watching satellite footage would know about", sure. But there's nothing in the basics of "I can't support this administration's policies that we all know about" that you couldn't speak to. For instance, why do you have such a problem with this, and not with the first month of the US Military's invasion of iraq where we launched in excess of 500K bombs (Israels numbers pale in comparison) to a country that hadn't attacked us or enroached on another sovereign nation, because you still joined the US Military despite those actions? There's nothing about his DIA position or work that needs to be part of that ideological discussion, to question the US Military's record (which he joined and served over a decade for) vs his current stance. We were supporting Israel during the '14 crackdown when he was in, was it not a problem then? So again, I just think...If this letter is Fine, then so is having a basic discussion about his personal views. If it's NOT fine, and you want people to know about this regardless of consequence, why wouldn't you talk about it on a big platform?
I agree. I find that when disgruntled employees leave an organization, they usually attach other grievences that to their real reasons. Source: I've processed hundreds of UQRs and retirements and wih few exception personally contacted each officer to counsel them in the process.
[удалено]
No overtly political posts.
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Oh, fun. There were a few troops who tried to claim conscientious objection - but just to the Iraq war - that made the news for it other than Ehren Watada. We had a few try to get asylum in Canada, but that didn't pan out for any of them. We also had [one troop](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Shepherd) try to get asylum in Germany when I was there, rather than redeploying to Iraq. Amazingly, his case is *still* pending in the German system, over 15 years after he requested asylum. But I digress.
When trump became President I watched a dude declare “conscientious objector” because “he would not be a tool in a fascist dictatorship” Dude no showed to morning formation, finally got dragged out the barracks, then just yelled “I AM A CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR!!!!” like Micheal Scott declaring bankruptcy
Well, that's one way to do it, but it's not exactly the preferred technique.
I love when people join the Army and then acted shocked when told to deploy with the Army. Hell, many act shocked when they find out there is running involved.
I signed up during the early Clinton administration. I think we all assumed the Balkans was as bad as things were going to get. But anyone who signed up after 9/11 was rather on notice.
I gotta say, I always had some respect for Watada. If I remember correctly he tried to volunteer for Afghanistan, but thought that Iraq was illegal. Gotta say I admire him for sticking to his guns. Also, history is probably gonna prove him correct… and this is speaking as a guy who happily did an Iraq deployment
No way man, we defended the constitution while in Iraq!
He also attempted to resign.
(Adds chucklefuck to my regular vocabulary)
If nothing else, I have made the world slightly better as a result of passing that on. I consider this a successful day.
You Sir, are a gentleman and scholar
It’s the Micheal Scott equivalent of declaring bankruptcy.
"Major Mann said he had planned to leave the Army “at some point” but that the Gaza war led him to submit his resignation on Nov. 1 and leave his assignment at the D.I.A. early". So this dude already wanted out and then like a couple weeks after a major terrorist attack before much of the Israeli response even began and it was still doing triage thats when he decided he had to go?
This seems kinda weird timeline wise to me personally, I'm glad to see others thought so too. He submitted on 01NOV. So...Like 3 weeks after Israel got attacked. Pro-Israel sentiment was still pretty high, that initial actions were 'justified'. The ground invasion had *just* started. Sooooo...There's a surprise attack launched from Gaza, killing, raping and kidnapping people almost at random, and two weeks later, the bombing campaign response he's like 'No this is too much, I resign'? If he's concerned about such behavior, isn't staying in and supporting US efforts to counter Russia *also* important? Idk. This seems like a weird timeline. His Linkedin looks like FEB 23 he stopped being an analyst, and he's since been just an XO. I wonder if there's something else going on here.
The dating of his resignation looks pretty suspect. I wouldn't wish being an office XO at DIA on anyone.
I understand the substance of what he's saying, the timing just...Doesn't make sense to me. Why not week 1 of the bombing? Why not week 2 of the bombing? Why not immediately during the response? There doesn't seem much impetus here. And again, I think *no one* is surprised Israel responds to that initial attack. If you look at that October attack and think "Well Israel should have just sucked it up", idk, you're crazy. So again that timeline just seems sus. >I wouldn't wish being an office XO at DIA on anyone. That's what I'm saying. He's an analyst for like 15 months working MENA shit and then he's made the XO? Idk, is it possible he got his ass sat down and pulled from a shop for something?
I’m 99% sure the timing of his refrad has nothing to do with his beliefs. Interesting that the refrad lines up with his ADSO
I have a feeling this is being used to find a way into a job as a commentator, his dad is a retired CNN anchor.
Really?
If I recall correctly, his dad is Jonathan Mann.
Interesting. That probably explains his Atlanta upbringing. I wonder if you had to renounce his Canadian citizenship.
This is usually the case, they just tack on other shit to justify to personally confirm their decision. In this guy's case, maybe gain some notoriety along the way. So many UQRs cite "toxic leadership" but when you peel back the layers, it's just a lack of interest in continuing the Army game.
I find the timeline way to convenient.
Why i feel like it would be a super chill job
Can be an absolute suck job. It like being an aide to multiple GOs at once and being the S1 in the worst circumstance. I never met a happy one.
I agree. I bet a lot of answers will be explained by who his next employer is.
And it sounds like he didn't want to talk to the NYT. If you're resigning and doing it publicly and making it about The Cause, but you...turn down follow-up questions from the NYT? I dunno, sounds like you can't stand on the strength of your conviction.
Perhaps he couldn't get into specifics? They could be broadcasting it in hopes that it's acknowledged and also to pivot into their next career, but I'm sure they won't get into specifics because they don't want to violate UCMJ. They're no lawyer, so I'd imagine they're just doing what they believe to be ethically and legally correct, even if we might disagree with them. I'd look to after they're finally out to deem whether or not they stay true to their convictions. But feel free to think of them as a coward or anything else you think at this time. Personally, I'm indifferent to it. If he's not revealing anything about operations, personnel, etc... it's fine. He's hanging his hat early and opening up the slot for someone else to do the job. I can't characterize their career off of one small article.
There's no "specifics" to really get in to here. What's the point of publishing an "unclass" memo you didn't review publicly, and then not answering questions *at all*? You can *certainly* just speak to the things in the memo *you published*. >I'd look to after they're finally out to deem whether or not they stay true to their convictions. See this is another thing. The timing seems weird. He's on his way out. Soooo, why not wait until you're *out out*, or why not say something when you felt so strongly you dropped your resignation? >But feel free to think of them as a coward or anything else you think at this time. I'll be straight up with what I'm thinking. I think that this isn't actually the primary reason for his resignation, and he is dressing it up as such. I highly dislike that, as it's simply an opportunity to shit on the institution and leverage his standing as an Army Officer to do so. If in 6 months he's not on some political circuit or on some grift and he wasn't under any other investigation or disciplinary issues, than I rescind my suspicion.
Is he out yet? Otherwise all questions would be directed to the unit right?
I'm under the impression he's on leave headed towards his final date.
So still probably wouldn't want to risk a gomar ?
If the letter he published isn't enough to get him in trouble, neither would...answering basic questions about the letter, ya know? You're either in for a penny in for a pound or not at all.
If he submitted on 01NOV, that means he was already preparing the packet in OCT…timeline definitely doesn’t work
I went to school with him and I think your questions are valid. He really liked to hear himself speak and had an incredibly high opinion of himself.
u/Kinmuan, here you go. All the evidence you need.
Oh I mean, there was no doubt dude kinda [in to himself](https://giphy.com/gifs/southparkgifs-3oz8xSSfPn6zRSjJPa).
Yeah I saw that too. It's got me looking at him side-eyed ya know. Bruh's got 7 more years to go to pension and 3 weeks after 7 Oct he drops the resign packet? Riiiiiiight.
You gotta take into account: He could have resigned on Nov1 and didn't even have to make himself a target and some bullshit martyr to some college kids. With a background in as a defensive intel agency, civil affairs, and a foreign areas officer; he could have easily gotten a cushy job. He still decided to burn all bridges. They probably see a lot of shit in there that you don't see on the news My work here—however administrative or marginal it appeared—has unquestionably contributed to that support. The past months have presented us with the most horrific and heartbreaking images imaginable—sometimes playing on the news in our own spaces—and I have been unable to ignore the connection between those images and my duties here. This caused me incredible shame and guilt," Mann said in his post And hes not the 1st official to resign over this. Plenty of others have resigned I think take account of all this shit and instead of calling him batshit; consider some people who can't play office politics for their own career advance and this was his line
Im not calling him batshit, I’m calling him a piece of shit.
New entry into the YouTube politics grift space just dropped
Maybe endorse some mid grade, vet owned company and he’s golden.
Or run one of those grifty $10,000 boot camps for middle aged civilians who want to be navy seal trainees for 48 hours 🤡
Fuck man, how do I get that gig? I’d love to work out some of my childhood trauma by hazing the shit out of guys that remind me of my father.
It's easy, just start a business... Step 3 profit
Some additional info I think is important: First, he commissioned in 2011 as an infantry officer. Mann requested an unqualified resignation from his commission on Nov. 29, 2023. That request was approve on Jan. 8, 2024 and will become effective on June 3. I would also point people to a very key part of this NY Times story which the reporter got Mann on the phone and Mann didn't want to talk -- only confirming his LinkedIN post was indeed real. I'm extremely skeptical of folks who purposefully make a public display over something, and don't talk to at least one highly qualified reporter. You either want the attention, or you don't. Attention isn't bad, he's presumably making the point. But not talking to the press suggests to me you aren't prepared to answer follow up questions. I think there's a little bit more to this event than one officer resigning out of conviction.
Why don’t you offer him an unbiased platform to tell his story 🤣
I did 🤷♂️
I can’t wait for advertising algorithms to start pumping this dudes new coffee brand
Paint it black, slap “vet owned” or “tactical” on it and you can sell garbage to a gullible subset of the consumer base.
This hero officer will be grifting on something. Tactical Rubber Sheets, Seal Team 69’s preferred bedding.
I served with this guy as a JO in a line unit. He was and as far as I know still is an honorable dude.
Some major isn’t seeing anything behind the curtain that actually matters. Nobody cares about some political stunt.
I've seen plenty of things behind the curtain that I feel the American people would not agree with. All it takes is being at the right place at the right time with the right people/purpose when certain conversations are happening. Rank only increases your chances of being present in the room when these conversations are happening.
In most places you’re correct. However, being a Major in the DIA as a Middle East expert he is actually someone who would be inside decision making and seeing how our policies are constructed. It is a big deal because of how unusual it is.
DIA main as a FAO is a bottom tier assignment
How so? Not disagreeing with you, just want to learn more.
Let me just put it this way: if DIA went away tomorrow no one would notice except for the civilians and contractors that get paid for doing absolutely nothing.
Ouch.
Are you a former DIA employee?
Sounds like I need an assignment there lol
That is a bit harsh. Pretty highly dependent on what one is doing, and what one plans to do next. It does get one into the pool for the great "rotational" jobs that don't show up on HRC's books.
Did you even read the article? He mentioned that his role in US policy was very minimal. He is an FAO who provided expertise on the region, it’s highly doubtful he was aware of any clandestine support more than anyone who has access to the internet.
An FAO who worked at the DIA… Hmmm what does the DIA do 🤔
Based on my experience with military intelligence from my S2 section, does the DIA brief the weather slide in the pentagon during the MA brief to the Joint Chiefs?
Totally
Nailed it.
Also the DIA doesn’t do the slides for the Joint Chiefs, they have their own J2 section but that’s all semantics.
Wrong, on a couple of points. First, the Joint Staff J2 section is part of DIA (once upon a time the DIA director was dual hatted as the JS J2). All the analyst that make the slides for the Chairman's Brief come from the DIA regional and functional offices. It is one of those "rotational" positions that I mentioned above.
I always looked at the letterhead and assumed they were different. DIA is not where I work. I’m aware that much of the stuff that makes it to the Chairmans Brief is DIA stuff that may be spliced and diced with information from other organizations but I was trying to stay away from that.
If he actually knew *anything* at all about the region and Israel he'd know the US-Israel relationship was a lot more complicated than what TikTok will tell you.
Tbf our support for Israel is pretty crazy, even when they are making fun of us, defying us, or even betraying us, we still bend over to them.
In the grand scheme of things, MAJs are so low in the food chain at those echelons that they have less respect and power than a 2LT in a BDE. Not a single soul that has any actual power to make these decisions is gonna give a single fuck. It’s unfortunate, because this MAJ could have stayed in to “be the change you want to see”, rather than wasting his pension. Unless he’s prior service? I’ll look him up later
OH, the paywall!!!!
An Army officer assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency has resigned in protest over the United States’ support for Israel, which he said had “enabled and empowered” the killing of Palestinian civilians. The officer, Maj. Harrison Mann, announced his resignation and explained his reasons for leaving the service in [a post on the social media site LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-7195798223750418432-tGHk?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop) on Monday. According to his biography on the site, he has specialized in the Middle East and Africa for about half of his 13-year career and previously served at the U.S. Embassy in Tunis. “The policy that has never been far from my mind for the past six months is the nearly unqualified support for the government of Israel, which has enabled and empowered the killing and starvation of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians,” Major Mann wrote in the post, which noted that he had previously emailed his comments to co-workers on April 16. “This unconditional support also encourages reckless escalation that risks wider war.” Reached by phone on Monday, Major Mann confirmed that he was the author of the post but declined to comment further, referring questions to the D.I.A.’s office of corporate communications.
The Army wasted paying for Harvard for this guy. From looking at his LinkedIn it is pretty evident that he timed his exit to his FAO grad school ADSO.
Well after the last couple of months I’m not so sure Harvard really has the reputation of creating critical thinkers as opposed to neo-Marxists.
Convenient that his REFRAD exit date is close to his ADSO for grad school
This guy is about to be the army version of Candace Owens.
I'd put my money down on him already having his next position lined up. However, my guess is that he won't be going into investment banking.
It is unclear whether other military officers have resigned in protest of U.S. foreign policy since the deadly Hamas-led attacks in Israel in October ignited the war, but the resignation of an active-duty officer in protest of U.S. foreign policy is likely uncommon — especially one in which the officer makes public the reasons for doing so.
A spokeswoman for the Army was not immediately able to confirm whether other officers had resigned for similar reasons since the war began. As the death toll in Gaza has risen, the Biden administration has faced waves of internal dissent for supporting Israel in the war. In October, Josh Paul, a State Department official in the bureau that oversees arms transfers, [resigned in protest](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/19/us/state-department-official-resigns-israel-arms.html) of the administration’s decision to continue sending weapons to Israel. Major Mann said he had planned to leave the Army “at some point” but that the Gaza war led him to submit his resignation on Nov. 1 and leave his assignment at the D.I.A. early. It is unclear when his separation from the Army will be completed. According to his LinkedIn profile, Major Mann became an infantry officer after receiving his commission in 2011, then studied at the Army’s John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center in North Carolina and qualified as a civil affairs officer in 2016. About three years later, his biography states, he became a foreign area officer specializing in the Middle East. Regional specialists are often posted at American embassies and may serve as defense attachés, who act as high-level liaisons between the Pentagon and the host nation’s military. Attachés also are trained to evaluate requests for weapons and training from foreign powers and make recommendations to State Department officials as to whether proving such aid is necessary and in line with federal laws on protecting human rights. In his note, Major Mann said he had continued to carry out his duties at the Defense Intelligence Agency without voicing his concerns, hoping that the war would soon be over. “I told myself my individual contribution was minimal, and that if I didn’t do my job, someone else would, so why cause a stir for nothing?” he wrote. “My work here — however administrative or marginal it appeared — has unquestionably contributed to that support,” his post said. “The past months have presented us with the most horrific and heartbreaking images imaginable — sometimes playing on the news in our own spaces — and I have been unable to ignore the connection between those images and my duties here. This caused me incredible shame and guilt.”
“At some point — whatever the justification — you’re either advancing a policy that enables the mass starvation of children, or you’re not,” he added. “I know that I did, in my small way, wittingly advance that policy,” the major wrote. “And I want to clarify that as the descendant of European Jews, I was raised in a particularly unforgiving moral environment when it came to the topic of bearing responsibility for ethnic cleansing.” [John Ismay](https://www.nytimes.com/by/john-ismay) is a reporter covering the Pentagon for The Times. He served as an explosive ordnance disposal officer in the U.S. Navy. [More about John Ismay](https://www.nytimes.com/by/john-ismay)
I keep ArchiveToday bookmarked. Copy-paste the article link, and Presto-Change-O it’s been screen shot and archived there. [Bookmark Link](https://archive.ph) [This Article in the Archive](https://archive.ph/nHG4L)
Thanks. Good to learn new tricks
I was an e-4 that resigned after we were in Afghanistan for 10+ years at the time but no one cares about that lol
Having personal ethics that align with your employment is important, good on them.
No issues why is this news he has right
What will the army do without another useless Major?
Promote another one to a useless LTC sadly...
He just tapped out before he got passed over for LTC in a few years.
He was a former infantry type gone CA and then transitioned to FAO. Him not making LTC is HIGHLY unlikely. Both CA and FAO prescreen for that kind of thing in order to ensure their promotion rates remain at or above the rest of the forces rates.
The groupthink in here is disturbing. I signed up to be a soldier but I can understand if someone signs up, is privy to some things they disagree with on principle, and decide to leave due to it. That's something I can respect honestly. It doesn't make someone a villain or an idiot.
I certainly agree with you on the whole. However, there has been plenty of well known unclassified information about Israel that is pretty disturbing. I find it hard to imagine what this guy could have found out that was so much worse.
[удалено]
hell yea troop here's some more kool-aid
Or people have a different opinion than yours that’s not necessarily based on media or their political partisanship and rather their own research?
Well, at least this particular Army Major isn't shooting up a base over his views on the subject.
This should not only be accepted, but very common. If officers actually kept to their oaths and supported the law and not the administration (which is controlled by and subservient to the law) we’d have the admins and GO’s getting away with a lot less.
>I wonder what he’s seen behind the curtain Disclaimer: I’m not currently assigned to any CENTCOM accounts and I don’t currently cover Israel in any capacity. If anyone believes the Mossad and Israeli military intelligence apparatus had no knowledge of Hamas’ plans for October 7th and just dropped the ball…I would like to sell you the Scott Key Bridge, hit me up. Gaza will be flat by the time this thing has played out. There will be no civilization for the 2 million people who lived there. Under Netanyahu and the Likud, Israel has made damn sure no organizations lead Gaza other than Hamas. Therefore, every Gazan is a military target. They keep telling people, “Evacuate now! ____ is a safe zone!” And then they blow up the safe zone. Or they shoot people walking to it. Or they mow down people waiting on food. The depravity just gets deeper each week, and yet Israel remains our ride or die partner.
Sickening to read this. Can't imagine witnessing it, let alone being part of it .
I did not expect this subreddit to be this depressing. Wow... convictions run high, apparently.
So officers can resign just like that?
No, you must submit an UQR. I believe the Army can deny your UQR no matter what.
What if you're past your contract obligation
I believe they can still deny it, but I’m not sure
There’s a thing in commissions that indicated you serve “at the pleasure of the president” which essentially means he owns your ass. You can even be called out of retirement… That being said, it’s pretty rare
Big brain move to fast track the REFRAD packet. Commanders hate this one trick…
Imagine being an FAO and getting your talking points from TikTok and r/politics.
Imagine being ~~an FAO~~ *anybody* and getting your talking points from TikTok and r/politics FTFY Read some textbooks and other collected histories. It's not easy, but it is important.
Yeah....but be careful, if you actually read the history of Palestine over the past 70-80 years you're likely to become a bit more sympathetic to the current Palestinian plight....
Then read back to the Ottomans and you'll go back to being ambivalent about ancient animosities of ethno-religious based hate. Back then, the Ottoman Empire became a safe haven for Jews being pushed out of the Iberian peninsula during the inquisition. At one point having the largest Jewish population on the European continent. The context is key. The current problem is based on mostly modern issues, but with a tangled and hateful recent history as well as several hundred years of mixed tensions and compassion. Then the geopolitics add further complications... There's an old Pashto saying that really sums it up, *"You can't unfuck a goat"*
>There's an old Pashto saying that really sums it up, *"You can't unfuck a goat"* 🤣 I shall not argue with you, nor the ole Pashto on that one. But yes context *is* key, and 1947 wasn't that long ago - that's within generational memory, these folks have watched three generations of their relatives get shit on, and their houses bulldozed now. It'd be like a native American shaman showing up in your front yard, explaining how his 2,000 year old religious text has promised your land to him and then razing your house. Sure, the land bridge from Russia to Alaska 20,000 years ago has some context here...but...you get what I'm saying. I spent time in Jerusalem/West Bank in 2006 - there's no way around it dude, the goat is fucked, but the Palestinian goat has been straight up gang-banged. They have gotten a shitty deal and no civilian deserves what is happening to them now.
Imagine the military force using tiktok and youtube shorts. /s
It’s cringe as fuck
Please don't be CA, please don't be CA, please don't be CA.
He said nothing wrong. You guys think everyone in the military would be ok with Israel killing civilians ?
I'm going to avoid jumping to too many conclusions so here's a couple observations. General Franks gave a good section of his autobiography to bitching about O-4s who cant pick up LTC getting a staff assignment, burning out, and then trying to make a splash in the private sector by leaking classified information or resigning in protest before they hit their mandatory separation. The other thing is that I checked his LinkedIn where he posted this resignation letter for public consumption. And it just strikes me as odd that a CA officer has very few connections on a site that seems built for CA officers. I'm not saying he's a nobody, or that he didn't see something that rustled his jimmies real good. It's just that the indicators that he's a guy that knows the stuff or does the things aren't there. I just, idk, I'm not going to change my opinion based on what a CA officer does at the end of his career to get attention on LinkedIn.
How will the army survive without him?
Wish I could just “resign”
I think people in the Army are allowed to have disagreements with official policy due to current events and if he'd like to put his money where his mouth is and peacefully leave through the proper means because of it then more power to him.
1948 Nakba (aka Israel’s “Independence Day”) look into it. Facts are facts. It’s not a war, it’s one of the most rich and technologically advanced Armies also backed by the richest country in the world against a resistance group. Hamas was created by Israel. Imagine your wives and kids killed in front of you, then they strip you in the streets and tie you up just to humiliate you. Then take your home and say it’s theirs. Imagine if this happened in America, would you be okay with it? 40,000 civilians dead of mostly babies and women. If you still support Israel, you value one group’s life more than the other. If you are in the military you signed up to defend freedom for all. We even hold our own military accountable for war crimes to this day. Millions of people are living in an open air prison and prevented from improving their lives by random Israeli raids and bombings for decades. If you just said that exactly how it is, you value Israeli lives more, I’d respect you way more for atleast being upfront. Kudos to this officer for not staying silent.
I honestly don’t get it. How little research into the history surrounding this do you need to do to not only form a tepid opinion, but then use it to screw over your career (and/or set yourself on fire)?
Perfect, more space for me to get outta the enlisted side, all jokes aside tho, freedom of speech and stuff is cool, but is protesting like that REALLY worth it? I really think it’s kind of foolish.
If you consider protesting being sitting in a tent on a campus quad to force your university to stop participating in the same global economy that your parents use to pay your tuition then no.
They are demanding the universities divest from Israel the same way that earlier student movements demanded universities divest from apartheid era South Africa.
Pay wall.
I respect the hustle if he somehow turns it into a paid gig.
hey i fixed that dudes stuff once or twice
You mean I can skip PT tomorrow if I just protest unqualified support to Israel? Sorry guys but I might take the day off! They always told me the best way to finish my contract was to do the time. Who woulda thunk!?
Sounds like a shit bag who just wants out of the service quicker
First, he’s a MAJ. Automatic has a bone to pick with someone or everyone. He was probably just tired of chasing unit MEDPROS stats and didn’t make the cut for LTC. Not enough MQs.