According to a new report, one of the U.S. Army’s largest bases has struggled to feed its stationed troops in the last several months.
Fort Cavazos, formerly known as Fort Hood, has barely been able to maintain its food services due to a shortage of cooks.
Military.com reports that top officials on base have struggled “to juggle logistics while most of its cooks are on deployments, missions or serving field training and other events.”
We spend $766 Billion on ‘defense’ each year but can’t afford to feed our own soldiers. Huge problem. https://t.co/z2TQV0T2gG
— Dale Stark (@DaleStarkA10) August 9, 2023
“The situation at Fort Cavazos, Texas has left some junior enlisted with few options for meals,” Military.com writes.
The situation at Fort Cavazos, Texas has left some junior enlisted with few options for meals. https://t.co/rREHITSt1q pic.twitter.com/zVKNcEHk1b
— Military.com (@Militarydotcom) August 8, 2023
Per Military.com:
The base had only two of its 10 major dining options open every day for much of the summer, with three others open only during limited times. The closures forced many soldiers to drive long distances across base, sometimes an hour round trip for their meals.
But not all junior soldiers have vehicles, and the base provides only a limited shuttle service, with none dedicated to dining facilities. The service is so limited that some service members interviewed by Military.com didn’t even know it exists.
“For months, one [dining facility] was open and was a more than 30-minute drive for my soldiers,” said one noncommissioned officer, who spoke to Military.com on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press. “All the soldiers were going to that one. It’s unmanageable during the workday.”
In some situations, the base posted conflicting schedules or confusing guidance on what meals were being provided at which dining facilities. One facility had a sign on the door stating that it was “closed for dinner,” but it didn’t note which specific days it was closed or days when other meals were not available.
The report comes on the heels of the U.S. Army falling short of its recruiting goals.
However, it’s not a surprise when you consider woke generals, COVID-19 jab mandates, and destructive foreign policy.
The Heritage Foundation writes:
At a recent House Armed Services Committee hearing, leaders from the Army, Navy, and Air Force all dutifully reported that they expected to miss their annual recruiting goal this year by thousands. This is just the latest sign that the military recruiting crisis—the worst since the institution of the all-volunteer force in 1973—is not abating.
Despite significant efforts by the military services, such as offering hefty enlistment bonuses of up to $50,000 and the ability to choose your first duty station, recruiting numbers have not improved. The effects on the armed forces are sobering: Navy ships are undermanned, and the Army is considering cutting the number of its Brigade Combat Teams.
Assemble 100 experts and veterans in a room and you will hear 100 reasons why recruiting is in trouble. At least one will point to low unemployment and the competitive job market; others will blame the lack of eligible recruits, disqualified by obesity or low test scores. Still more will mention the lack of knowledge among youth of military life and benefits, fear of death or injury, lack of patriotism, concerns about “wokeness,” and fallout from the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal. Others will cite the differences between young people in Generation Z, who are currently the prime age for recruiting, and prior generations.