Sovereign Deed (tm)

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

I'm not sure if you're including food as part of the logistics. If you are, food  and payroll about all I would place in the hands of civilian corporations. Everything else belongs in military hands.
It wouldn't be too hard to get food out to a combat zone, assuming they have a base. I'd rather have my friends eating decent food in Iraq and Afghanistan than taters and gravy everyday.

[Swatopluk]

Never heard  the old saying that an army travels on its stomach?
Dersert Storm was a bad food war. Some units had to eat the same MRE* stuff for weeks because the only pork-free option was chicken (and thus the only one allowed in Saudi Arabia etc.).


*Meals Ready to Eat aka Meals Rejected by the Enemy/Ethiopia

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

I've had that stuff before. My step-father was in the army intelligence and had some left over. That stuff isn't fit for dogs.
Bleh.

[Aphos]

I've had that stuff before. My step-father was in the army intelligence and had some left over. That stuff isn't fit for dogs.
Bleh.

You should try the stuff they had before MREs.  MREs are WONDERFUL compared to that stuff.

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

I've heard from him about that stuff, too. 

[Sibling Chatty]

Food for the military should be provided on the same basis as food for the guys in submarines.

The Navy spends a year and a half training a basic cook for the subs, plus another year or two for specialists (pastry chefs, any other specialist, depending on size of vessel). EVERY cook has at least the basics of all areas, including desserts. Pastry chef is a top choice assignment, because only the big subs get one...and the training is worth $100,000 on the Real World open market. Their food is TOP GRADE, with the concept that if they're going to be confined to small quarters for long times, they DESERVE it. UMMMM, so that means that nobody else deserves more than the slop and rot Halliburton's serving??

Bullshit. Train your people, give them decent provisions AND the ability to hire and buy on the local markets. Go for THE BEST for these folks, not for "what we can get away with".

My Goddessdaughter's boyfriend has been in the Navy forr 10 months. He's training for sub chef. He's not gotten a grade below 96 on ANY of his testing. He's been invited to work several White House events (prep work and assistant duties, it's an honor). And he MIGHT get put on the 'second chance' list for pastry chef training. He's from an Army family. His step-dad admitted, when he was home for Christmas' that MAYBE the Navy had the right idea. Screw Halliburton, feed the troops decently. It CAN be done, even on most battlefields. And MRE's CAN be better. Not needed as much as they're used, and more wholesome WHEN they're used.

That doesn't feed [the pockets of] the Bulldog (Cheney) though...

[Aphos]

When I was in the Air Force, I wasn't that impressed with AF chow.  It was pretty bland in my opinion.  But the Army soldiers that came onto our base for exercises were in AWE of our food.  Which should tell you something about the quality of food served in the Army.

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

Yeah, my buddy just joined the air force and is very disappointed in the food--which reminds me, I need to send her cookies or something.

[Sibling Chatty]

And the kid that I know in the Navy is training by working in a regular Navy mess 2 days a week, and uses fresh butter, bakes with vanilla beans as a matter of course, can, as a trainee, reject any veggies he doesn't think are good enough, and when he was helping me make mashed potatoes, was disappointed that we had whole milk, not heavy cream...

Yes submarine duty is tough. BUT, all military duty is tough. And our military deserves better. And our military CAN DO better, but not do better AND make a huge profit for Halliburton.

[Swatopluk]

Maybe they follow that other old proverb that 'the better the army the worse the food' (typical soldier reaction: I didn't know that the army was that good.'
Interestingly in the past the navy had the reputation to serve the worst food in existence (with the maggots being the best protein available to the sailors). Remermber the Potemkin!
On the other hand, what to expect from a military where the soldiers are seen as just the manning of the expensive equipment? ('The British equip their men, the Americans man their equipment')