The Department of Defense launched a new program last month designed to generate the appearance of rigorous congressional oversight by having Republican lawmakers yell at senior military officials on live television, according to internal documents reviewed by The Rusty Trumpet.
The Hostile Oversight Simulation Initiative, or HOSI, rolled out its first public exercise during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the abrupt cancellation of a 4,000-soldier deployment to Poland. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and the new Army Chief of Staff sat stone-faced as Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) accused them of an “embarrassment to our country” and demanded to know who made the decision. The exchange, which lasted 47 minutes, was viewed by approximately 11 people on C-SPAN3.
What viewers did not know was that Bacon’s questions had been supplied by a Pentagon contractor three days earlier. A copy of the script obtained by The Rusty Trumpet instructed the congressman to begin with “This is reprehensible,” demand the timeline of the decision, and then pause dramatically before asking, “Who is this benefiting? It’s benefiting Putin, right?” The line was bolded and underlined.
“We found that real oversight creates delays and uncomfortable headlines,” said Pentagon spokesperson Marjorie Fillmore. “HOSI stages the conflict in a controlled environment. The public sees anger, and we avoid anyone accidentally doing something about it.” Fillmore noted the $2.3 million program was cheaper than fixing the system that stopped soldiers mid-deployment while their equipment was already in transit.
The program was reportedly ordered by Don the Con, who felt that appointing a former Fox News host to run the military lacked a certain televised energy. The former president has long complained that hearings are boring and lack the “you’re fired” rhythm he perfected on reality TV.
During the hearing, Driscoll confirmed the decision to cancel the Poland deployment came “within the last two weeks” and that equipment was already moving. Bacon, working from the script, called the situation “bologna” and “foolish.” A Pentagon aide later said the “bologna” phrasing was Bacon’s own ad-lib. “We allow minor improvisation,” Fillmore said.
The 4,000 soldiers originally bound for Poland are now retraining at Fort Bragg in a course titled “Strategic Flexibility and Rapid Rethinking.” Equipment already shipped to Europe will be stored in Germany “until we figure out what’s going on,” according to a DOD memo.
Asked whether Poland had been notified of the reversal, Driscoll said notification was “pending an interagency review” and might be wrapped into a future episode of HOSI, tentatively scheduled after the midterm elections.
