The U.S. military does a lot with very little. It took 15 million U.S. troops to fight World War II for just four years. We've been at this globalterrorwarthingy for six years now with a force of 2 million, counting reserves. For the average trooper on the ground that means long tours: up to 15 months for Army soldiers. And the only way such lengthy service is possible is with plentiful, regular hot food.
That's right. Food is my pick for the seventh-best war tech.
I should know. I've eaten a couple hundred meals in military chow halls in Iraq (and Lebanon and Timor, too), and they always made me feel better about the shootings, bombings, riots and run-ins with fussy Frenchmen in baby-blue U.N. berets. The best food I've ever tasted was at a base in Baqubah on January 27th, 2005, the evening after I got blown up by a suicide bomber. Fried chicken. Mac and cheese. Peace of mind.
But don't take it from me. Take it from one soldier at a base in Baghdad this March: "Believe me, it makes a big difference," he said. "It's a big morale booster to get some hot chow. It's just good to have some of those creature comforts sometimes."
And this sergeant at Thanksgiving dinner in Baghdad in 2005: "I'm thankful for good chow."
And this officer who raced his bike to meals at a forward base in Iraq last year: "The horror, the horror. Colonel Kurtz never experienced horror like this. The chow hall ice cream station has been closed for three days!"
So what does it take to keep the troops stuffed? On the big bases, it takes contractors and cash. On the smaller outposts, it requires robust supply lines, regular convoys and containerized kitchens, fitted with burners and refrigerators, that can serve hundreds of troops daily. And putting the kitchens so far forward means they sometimes get shot at. So one officer recommends adding armor.
--David Axe, cross-posted at Danger Room
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