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Charlie Thomas

@cthomasjamh.bsky.social

6.5K followers 800 following 3.2K posts

Professor, African Military Historian, Co-Editor of the Journal of African Military History. Opinions expressed are solely mine. My book, Ujamaa’s Army, is available now!! https://www.ohioswallow.com/9780821425596/ujamaas-army

www.ohioswallow.com

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Charlie Thomas @cthomasjamh.bsky.social · Nov 12

For all my new followers, hello! I am a historian of African militaries and African military history- and I recently published a book on the Tanzania People's Defence Forces' fascinating history! Here's a thread about why you should read it! bsky.app/profile/ctho...

Charlie Thomas @cthomasjamh.bsky.social · Sep 28

"But Charlie!" you may say, "why should *I* care about the Tanzania People's Defence Force!?" Well let me tell you a few cool things about them!

1. Following independence most African states just inherited whatever colonial troops existed as their militaries. This often led to coups and mutinies.

Charlie Thomas @cthomasjamh.bsky.social · Sep 28

Whooooo! Although I know other folks have already gotten it, my author copies finally arrived. It's been a long road and it still feels unreal to actually have the physical copies in hand!

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Reposted by Charlie Thomas

Southern African Policy Feed @sadcpolicyfeed.bsky.social · 9h

DRC | M23 rebels threaten to overthrow Congo’s government, but analysts suggest the offensive may be aimed at gaining leverage in Doha peace talks rather than a real march toward Kinshasa. The conflict’s instability risks deepening regional insecurity across Central Africa.

Congo: Are M23 rebels really advancing toward Kinshasa?

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, M23 rebels threaten to overthrow the government in Kinshasa. But experts say that the escalating war could be nothing more than a means of influencing the peace talks between in Doha.

www.dw.com

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Charlie Thomas @cthomasjamh.bsky.social · 9h

A more knowledgeable person than I notes the central and absolutely disqualifying issues here. Thanks Mike!

Mike Black @mikeblack114.bsky.social · 12h

Negative

For starters as a logical matter there is no universe in which this meets the intended purpose of reprogramming language

But as a legal matter you've got to have a valid appropriation to transfer the monies into

Congress appropriates some things on a multi-year basis and others annual

eric gonzalez juenke @egojunk.bsky.social · 14h

The DoD is allowed to transfer this money per statute apparently (though this is outside of my area). The CR in March upped it to 8 billion.

Reposted by Charlie Thomas

robertmcmillan.bsky.social @robertmcmillan.bsky.social · 10h

UNDERSTANDING ACQUISITION: THE COLORS OF MONEY

asc.army.mil/web/news-und...

asc.army.mil

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Mike Black @mikeblack114.bsky.social · 18h

It probably goes without saying the financial nuts and bolts of the world's largest organization are complex, but like we almost accidentally did tens of thousands of anti-deficiency act violations the other day because a thing was set a way that made sense in normal times but no one noticed it now

Mike Black @mikeblack114.bsky.social · 19h

as a practical matter I'm legitimately unsure how this would work with DFAS, like this might actually Break Something Important

Mike Black @mikeblack114.bsky.social · 19h

I understand the optics here but this is also literally why Charles met his end in Whitehall, either Article I means what it says or it doesn't and the Constitution is dissolved

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hilzoy @hilzoy.bsky.social · 11h

Nothing says Competent and Humane Management like firing a bunch of your best people by mistake and saying Oops! Sorry! A day later.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 14h

OOOPS! UPDATE: Two HHS officials tell me that disease detectives, measles response officers, global health officials and the MMWR staff were laid off by mistake and will be reinstated. But Washington office is still RIFed

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 1d

BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:

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Mike Black @mikeblack114.bsky.social · 11h

Correct

Reprogramming is intended (and the language is written) to give the Executive latitude to not be overly strictured because when we're talking about almost a trillion dollars a few billion might not be 100% aligned

But it is ALWAYS done in consultation with approps, particularly their PSMs

Matt Separa @mattsepara.bsky.social · 11h

I don't think people really understand the idea that Congress controls the purse strings and how important it is to the Constitutional order. It literally prevents the executive from doing anything without Congress providing the money. This is a power Congress has VERY closely guarded.

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ex-Lethality Jane @lethalityjane.bsky.social · 11h

We're sending squad-sized elements to secure the Bass Pro Shop

Screencap of an AP article

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — National Guard troops patrolled in Tennessee’s second-largest city for the first time Friday while soldiers in Illinois were engaged only in planning and training after a judge handed a loss to the Trump administration and blocked their deployment to the Chicago area.

At least nine armed Guard members began their patrol at the Bass Pro Shops located at the Pyramid, an iconic Memphis landmark, about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from historic Beale Street and FedEx Forum, where the NBA’s Grizzlies play

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Charlie Thomas @cthomasjamh.bsky.social · 11h

Yeah- I don’t think so either. After discussing it more with @gigansprogress.bsky.social (who is more knowledgeable than me) I think they are deeply torturing the meaning of something intended to cover cost overages for shipbuilding or the like.

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Charlie Thomas @cthomasjamh.bsky.social · 13h

I mean, sure, why not. I would have just not fired them in the first place if I were in charge, but maybe I'm just built different?

Lena Sun @lenasun.bsky.social · 14h

BREAKING: Some of the layoffs at CDC are being REVERSED.
Here is my updated story.
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

More than 1,000 CDC staff receive layoff notices during government shutdown

Another round of mass layoffs has struck CDC. The agency had already been cut during a reorganization this year, and more employees are now being shed amid the government shutdown.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Charlie Thomas @cthomasjamh.bsky.social · 13h

Right? They are torturing the meaning of a statute and likely hobbling several R&D lines of effort to buy... two weeks? Okay, sure, I guess.

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Mike @mcgwh.bsky.social · 13h

If eight billion can be reallocated that should cover a two week pay period. Based on FY 2025 allocation of 15.2 billion a month in monthly payroll for uniformed service members.

Also won’t cover the Coast
guard unless the Department of Homeland Security can reallocate funds.

Charlie Thomas @cthomasjamh.bsky.social · 14h

So this is interesting- there may be a legal path to transfer some monies to cover pay but a) this specific use might still be debatable and b) $8bn might sound like a lot but it won’t cover these costs for long. Active Duty payroll plus retirements is ~$190bn a year so this maybe gets us two weeks.

eric gonzalez juenke @egojunk.bsky.social · 14h

The DoD is allowed to transfer this money per statute apparently (though this is outside of my area). The CR in March upped it to 8 billion.

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Charlie Thomas @cthomasjamh.bsky.social · 13h

and even then that is a tortured reading of this statute (are R&D Funds "available for the same purposes" as actually paying troops?) that maybe buys them a pay period before the $8bn is used up. That may be what is required here to get everything sewn up, but I haven't seen any indications for that

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Charlie Thomas @cthomasjamh.bsky.social · 14h

There’s also the question of how quickly this can be done even if it fits the legal use of the funds and such. We’re still at the “~24 hours to meet Wednesday suspense” timeline.

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Charlie Thomas @cthomasjamh.bsky.social · 14h

eric gonzalez juenke @egojunk.bsky.social · 14h

The DoD is allowed to transfer this money per statute apparently (though this is outside of my area). The CR in March upped it to 8 billion.

Of course it has. It always does. Sec 8005 of DOD Appropriations, for starters…

That one provision now allows for $8b in transfers, per March’s full year CR:

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Reposted by Charlie Thomas

Vivian M. Lumbard @vivian-m-lumbard.bsky.social · 14h

Possible way to transfer monies lawfully, but I'm not sure payroll qualifies under the statute and in essence, by not funding the budget with a CR.

eric gonzalez juenke @egojunk.bsky.social · 14h

The DoD is allowed to transfer this money per statute apparently (though this is outside of my area). The CR in March upped it to 8 billion.

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Charlie Thomas @cthomasjamh.bsky.social · 16h

So for those wondering about the mechanics of paying the troops and why “just use other money!”
might go wrong, here’s a good explainer.

“Hey man did you get QA to sign off?” Gigan @gigansprogress.bsky.social · 18h

Because of how complex defense accounting is and how the money crosses different years and programs, DFAS is set up specifically to draw at those dates from those programs. You can't just create $15b dollars, you need to allocate it across a bunch of different areas and subsequently pull from/

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Reposted by Charlie Thomas

“Hey man did you get QA to sign off?” Gigan @gigansprogress.bsky.social · 19h

DFAS does not work this way and they'd have to do some Real Adult Crimes to move this money around that is specifically earmarked for MILPERS, and not in the cute way they've raided MILCON or nuclear modernization programs in the past

“Hey man did you get QA to sign off?” Gigan @gigansprogress.bsky.social · 19h

"Money Colors Are A Thing" I shriek, as I am walled up like Fortunato

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Charlie Thomas @cthomasjamh.bsky.social · 16h

We literally signed the Atlantic Charter with Britain, committing our side to eliminating colonialism and conquest, four months before we entered the war. These people are illiterate.

Charlie Thomas @cthomasjamh.bsky.social · 17h

Yeah- what he is committing to is transferring money from one pot to another in a way that is not normally legally allowed and then demanding the payroll system process it (with said questionable money), all in roughly 24 hours (holiday weekend) with a likely mostly furloughed office.

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Charlie Thomas @cthomasjamh.bsky.social · 17h

Leftists read about the Atlantic Charter Challenge: Impossible.

Charlie Thomas @cthomasjamh.bsky.social · 17h

apnews.com/article/trum... OMB says the money for the troops is going to be covered by R&D but we’re back at how does DFAS color that money (like legally how does it use that pot) and distribute it properly over a holiday weekend to meet a Wednesday suspense.

Trump directs the Pentagon to use 'all available funds' to ensure troops are paid despite shutdown

President Donald Trump says he's directed the Defense Department to use “all available funds” to ensure that U.S. troops are paid on Wednesday despite the government shutdown.

apnews.com

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Charlie Thomas @cthomasjamh.bsky.social · 17h

I mean the combo between “oops guess we screwed up” and the panic of trying to find a couple billion dollars to loan out on 3 days notice (mil payroll is how much?) was never going to lead to good outcomes here.

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Reposted by Charlie Thomas

Dave Levitan @davelevitan.bsky.social · 18h

“We can give $20 billion to Argentina but we can’t afford the CDC’s measles experts” is a hell of an argument

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Ghost of Hugo Grotius @hugogrotiusghost.bsky.social · 17h

Ah fancy that

taskandpurpose.com/news/poll-ci...

Poll: Most Americans say military should be apolitical and face only 'external threats'

A new poll released Wednesday found most Americans want the military to remain politically neutral, but are split on domestic deployments.

taskandpurpose.com

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Charlie Thomas @cthomasjamh.bsky.social · 17h

Whole different stove that is heating up reeeeaalllly fast here. Almost every uniformed person I know said their first step was the interest free USAA or NFCU loan to carry them over any bumps.

Drew F. Lawrence @dflawrence.bsky.social · 17h

Troops stung by ‘hard’ credit checks and unexpected denials in USAA’s relief loans — latest from me @taskandpurpose.com

One soldier messaged USAA’s chatbot about his denied loan. It pushed a credit card, then said to consider opening an account with Navy Fed.
taskandpurpose.com/military-lif...

Troops stung by ‘hard’ credit checks and unexpected denials in USAA’s relief loans

Some troops were surpised by hard credit checks and unexpected denials for relief loans by military-friendly lender USAA.

taskandpurpose.com

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