A lot of press coverage from @TaskandPurpose and @starsandstripes on this DFAC closure — and I received an update from someone familiar with the situation. As suspected, the PAO was furloughed, and much of this confusion could have been avoided with clear communication. Here’s what I’ve learned: 1️⃣ The DFAC was already scheduled to close in 2026. 2️⃣ Soldiers have been on separate rations since September. 3️⃣ The DFAC is closed because of the shutdown — but any Soldier still eating there is doing so on their own dime. The bigger issue here isn’t just this closure it’s what the shutdown reveals about the vulnerabilities in privatizing DFACs and barracks. What happens to these contracts, and to the Soldiers who rely on them, when the government stops?

Soldiers are still getting turned away from the DFAC. At @JRTC_FTJohnson & @FortBlissTexas Despite the attention from the recent article from @TaskandPurpose At Fort Johnson, a cook warned incoming soldiers: “Some of y’all are gonna get turned away, I know it.” And sure enough, soldiers with trays in hand were told to leave. Now Fort Bliss is dealing with a similar issue: a new requirement that every single one of their ~5,000 meal card holders must have their CAC recertified annually just to access food. If they don’t? They’re denied entry even if they’re otherwise authorized. Here’s the absurd part: * Why can’t this system just auto-update when a soldier starts or stops BAS? * Why are we adding hours of manual admin work to already overworked S1 shops? * Why is this expiration invisible to the very soldiers it’s affecting? * And why isn’t there a simple CAC portal to validate entitlements on the spot? We’re punishing soldiers for administrative processes they don’t control. The @USArmy_G1 owes soldiers answers. So does @SecArmy. We should not be turning anyone away from the DFAC, especially not for a paperwork mismatch. I’ve spoken directly with a soldier impacted by this. This isn’t a theoretical problem it’s real, it’s ongoing, and it’s completely avoidable. If we could make physical meal cards work, surely we can build a better system in 2025. Feed the troops. Fix the system. @PattyNieberg

If you haven’t had a chance to read the article from Task & Purpose, the Army is piloting a program to get junior officers to come up with solutions for quality of life problems that are driving soldiers out of the service. I was able to get a meeting with JO Counsel today to talk about how Hots&Cots can collaborate with them. One line from the article really stuck with me: “The program empowers junior officers to distribute surveys, collect data, and come up with solutions on barracks issues, permanent change of station moves, PCS, and work flow obstacles.” Guess what Hots&Cots does well (besides not having war plans posted like Signal)? Collecting real data on what junior enlisted are going through and what’s actually working at different installations. It seems like a no-brainer to use that info to help figure out where things are broken—and where things are going right. Keep those reviews coming. I can’t promise every negative one gets addressed (I try!), but your feedback does get seen. There are leaders paying attention.

Hey junior officers and @USArmy If you’re part of this new program to collect quality of life data and propose solutions—Hots&Cots is built for exactly this! My app is free designed to gather soldier feedback on barracks, DFACs, and other pain points. It breaks the data down visually, making it easy to turn raw input into actionable insights. I literally have the tools you need. Let’s collaborate. I’ll provide support, Custom dashboards if needed. Let’s turn data into real improvements. Another solid piece from @PattyNieberg

Hots&Cots is a force multiplier for any leader that wants to know what is happening in their barracks or DFACs I turned to Hots & Cots because unless a work order is considered an emergency by [the Directorate of Public Works], it’s very unlikely that an issue will get solved quickly or at all unless the battalion barracks managers bring it up to DPW