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The Duffel Brief · the free edition, Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Vol. 15 · No. 114 · Wednesday, 23 September 2026

Army

Mitch McConnell returns from extended drill weekend

Staff says senator’s three-month absence was “routine National Guard obligation”

Trump considers replacing Hegseth with rock or something

Army adopts ‘Your body, my choice’ as new recruiting slogan

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Vol. 15 · No. 114

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Vol. 15 · No. 114 · Deployed worldwide

Wednesday

23 September 2026

0521 Zulu

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· Page 2

Ballet-dancer turned officer pirouettes into TOC

Filed · 1540

FORT HOOD, Texas — Capt. Todd Bolshoi, deputy operations officer at the 3-23rd Infantry Regiment (light) gave a battle update brief so laced with metaphor it rendered the scheme of maneuver incomprehensible and thoroughly confused the collected staff, witnesses have reported.

“Bravo Company 2nd Platoon will be the reserve unit with faint in a second position demi-plié, a kind of tableau if you will, before everything shifts stage right,” said Bolshoi, dramatically gesturing to a sand table. “And then, to put it clearly, the assault team jeté entrelacés a right flanking movement.”

While many had known about Bolshoi’s football scholarship in college, few knew of his love for classical ballet or his extended training in what he calls "that most disciplined of the performing arts."

“Then we go all Baryshnikov on red team’s ass, and they frigging won't know what hit them," Bolshoi continued. “It'll be like the New York City Ballet on January 17, 1958 all fucking over again! 1st Platoon, you're the support-by-fire element. Operational tempo is really important here. I need you to keep up at allegro on those 240s. Drop it down to an adagio on order when the assault team clears the objective.”

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