Defense Department Boosts Order for Rations Twofold
February 20, 2003
By Sig Christenson
As American forces converge on the Persian Gulf and a new war with Iraq looms, the Pentagon has more than doubled the number of Meals Ready-to-Eat, the military's basic field ration.
The Defense Logistics Agency reported today that its Philadelphia office buys 36 million individual MREs each year, but since last September it has ordered an additional 49.2 million.
The bulk of the prepackaged meals will go to the Army.
More MREs are being shipped overseas than usual, but agency spokesman Jack Hooper wouldn't speculate on the reason for the increase or the ultimate destination of the rations. He deferred further comment to the Defense Department.
“The attempt to tie those pieces of information together would be speculation,” he said, adding, “For the most part our purchases are a result of a demand placed by the military services.”
The Fort Belvoir, Va.-based DLA is a logistics combat support agency with responsibility for providing supplies and services to America's military forces worldwide. It buys more than 4 million items, mostly for the military, ranging from clothing and textiles to medicine, food and fuel for the services.
MREs are book-size rations that provide troops in the field with hot meals. They're designed to provide nourishing food to troops engaged in heavy training or combat. An MRE costs $6.77, contains up to 2,400 calories and keeps soldiers on the battlefield at full speed.
Hooper said production is rising for a long list of items used by the military, among them the newest chemical-biological protective clothing, dubbed the Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology. The agency has ordered more bulletproof vests, which cover the chest, neck and groin, and uses a series of finger-thin ceramic plates to stop AK-47 rounds.
While it wasn't clear if the agency also has ordered more desert camouflage uniforms, Hooper said there is a ready supply on hand. He called the increased production of chem-bio suits and body armor “prudent planning.”
The production of more desert uniforms would be a plus for the Fort Hood-based 4th Infantry Division. The unit, now pegged to operate in southern Turkey, did not have desert-colored clothing when it was ordered to deploy to the Persian Gulf last month. The troops are at Fort Hood awaiting orders as the White House and Turkish official wrangle over an aid package.
But like the recent deployment of hospital ships to the region, the surge in production of MREs is yet another indicator of the Pentagon's long-term planning for the Persian Gulf.
More than 1 million MREs have been ordered for the Army alone. An additional 240,000 boxes have been earmarked for the Marine Corps, while 173,000 will go to the Air Force.
sigc@express-news.net
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