Why Are U.S. Soldiers Going Hungry? Army Diverts Over $151 Million From Food Budget

Soldiers at Fort Carson in Colorado were served one slice of toast with a scoop of lima bean soup for dinner on November 20, 2024. Fort Carson had $22 million in food budgets, but only $5 million was used. Fort Hood in Texas had only two out of ten dining halls open.

In 2024, at least $150 million of the food budget for soldiers was diverted to other purposes by the US Army. Reviewing financial records for just 11 installations, it was revealed that $150 million, or 67% of the $225 million Congress had allocated to purchase food for soldiers in barracks, was diverted elsewhere. However, no one knows what.

This money is collected through what is essentially a tax imposed on troops. It is taken from the Basic Allowance for Sustenance (BAS), which is roughly $460 per monthly payment that is automatically deducted by service members living in barracks. The BAS is meant to cover food costs. The cost is significant for junior enlisted soldiers who earn around $30,000 per year.

The Army Public Affairs Office arranged an interview with a service official who was directly aware of the situation. He said that the money collected by soldiers for BAS had been redirected and used elsewhere.

Military.com’s investigation only covers 11 out of 104 Army installations. The actual amount taken from the budget for feeding soldiers is therefore much higher. The swindle appears to be a local one, as the diverted amounts are so different between bases.

Fort Stewart in Georgia, for instance, collected $17 million from soldiers, but spent only $2.1 million, redirected 87% of funds. Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, collected $14.5 Million but spent only $5.3 Million. This means that 63% of the money went elsewhere.

The Army in which I grew up was a mess hall – they tried to call them “dining rooms,” but nobody did – and the enlisted people who lived in barracks received a meal card that gave them three meals a day. You were entitled to a “basic subsistence allowance” if you lived off-post or were a commissioned official. This was the equivalent of the cost of three meals a day at the mess hall. The BAS for enlisted personnel was stopped when the unit deployed in the field. They were given free food and MREs. In the field, officers continued to draw the BAS, but they were still charged for MREs consumed.

In 2002, this system was no longer in place, and troops were paid cash BAS. This money was taken from their paychecks and used to fund the “kiosks”, which had replaced the mess halls. Payroll deductions for meals have created a huge pile of cash. Someone, likely wearing stars on their shoulder, decided to spend the money elsewhere.

The theft that is taking place is not morally or ethically justified. The budgets for facilities and staff in the food service are different. By law, the BAS money must be used to buy food for soldiers. The money cannot be used for anything else unless the Department of Defense asks Congress to reprogram the funds.

The entire chain of command, including the support channel for noncommissioned officers, has betrayed trust in this scandal. Not only did everyone know that food was in short supply, but also that the food quality was poor.

The old saying is true: “Nothing’s too good for our troops, and we make sure they get it.”