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In real life, four-star General Stanley McChrystal went against orders from the Obama administration to develop his own strategy to solve the problems in war-stricken Afghanistan. After his criticism of VP Joe Biden in a magazine, he was asked to resign. Now, Netflix has released a new movie calledWar Machine, starring Brad Pitt as General Glenn McMahon and based on the real life McChrystal.  

It took some time and some legal wrangling, but the Netflix film, War Machine has finally been released. War Machine was released on May 26, 2017, and is a satirical war film based on the non-fiction book, The Operators, written by late American journalist Michael Hastings. The Netflix film stars Brad Pitt, Anthony Michael Hall, Topher Grace, Anthony Hayes, Tilda Swinton, Will Poulter, and Ben Kingsley. War Machine is based on real-life actions performed by United States Army General, Stanley McChrystal. The central character of the film is General Glenn McMahon, who is a fictional version of the real-life General. Here are some details from General Glenn McMahon’s wiki.

Who is Glenn McMahon?

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Glenn McMahon is a fictitious character based on the real-life, four-star General Stanley McChrystal. McChrystal is a retired United States Army General best known for his command of Joint Operations Special Command (JSOC) in the mid-2000s. His last post was in war-torn Afghanistan, where he served as Commander, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Commander, U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A). McChrystal spoke his mind when other military leaders were afraid to. However, after making some unflattering remarks about then-Vice President Joe Biden and some administration officials in a Rolling Stone article, McChrsytal was asked to resign from his post. In the movie, Brad Pitt plays the role General Glenn McMahon, which is based on General Stanley McChrystal.

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Going His Own Way

The movie begins in Afghanistan where McMahon is appointed to handle a difficult situation. The Obama administration believes that this mess could be cleaned —albeit shoddily but cannot be won. McMahon thinks otherwise and develops a strategy called “SNORP” to defeat the insurgency through “nation building.” General McChrystal developed a similar strategy called “COIN.”

McMahon is openly dissatisfied with the senior Obama administration officials and schedules an interview with 60 Minutes without permission, in an effort to collect public support for his strategy.

The Administration Hit Back at McChrystal

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In real life, the fallout from this insubordination was quick. General McChrystal was immediately called back to the White House, where he offered his resignation. President Obama explained his decision to the public saying, “The conduct represented in the recently published article does not meet the standard that should be set by a commanding general. It undermines the civilian control of the military that is at the core of our democratic system.” The Rolling Stone article surprised many and led to an investigation into McChrystal’s actions by the U.S. Army and the Pentagon. The verdict was that there were no wrongdoings in the General’s actions.

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General McChrystal: An Officer and Hero in Real Life

General McChrystal married Annie Corcoran in 1977. His wife is also from a military family, and the couple has one son. According to sources, McChrystal runs seven miles daily, eats only one meal a day, and sleeps only four hours per night. After his retirement, McChrystal teaches international relations at Yale University, where he is a Senior Fellow of their Jackson Institute for Global Affairs. McChrystal has been described by former Defence Secretary Robert Gates as “perhaps the finest warrior and leader of men in combat I ever met.” Despite his controversial acts in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal remains a hero to many.