Due To Deployments & Training Military Base Is Having Some Issues
Soldiers at an Army base in Texas have been struggling with limited meals for months as the base faces a shortage of cooks to staff its dining facilities.
Fort Cavazos, formerly known as Fort Hood, has been struggling with meals for its junior enlisted troops for months as the base has only opened two of its 10 major dining facilities on a limited schedule. This has caused soldiers to drive long distances to get food and created confusion with conflicting opening schedules for the facilities, according to a report Tuesday from Military.com.
The base has faced a shortage of cooks to staff its dining facilities, with many cooks either on deployment or away on field training. Additionally, many Army cooks have been pulled off the base for a rotation at the National Training Center and for support of a cadet exercise at Fort Knox, Kentucky. These added pressures have made it difficult for the base to keep up with demands, further straining the facilities.
The report comes as the military has continued to battle its worst recruiting crisis in over 50 years, with the Army being the hardest hit by the shortfall. While Army leaders, including Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, have expressed optimism that the branch has turned the tide this fiscal year, it is still expected to come well short of meeting its goals again.
For the time being, Army officials are considering a plan to allow soldiers to use meal cards typically used at official dining facilities at on-post military restaurants such as Panera and Qdoba. That idea is currently being piloted at Fort Drum, New York, according to the report. Additionally, two of the installation's dining facilities have been reopened in the past week, potentially providing some relief to soldiers facing packed facilities and logistical hurdles.
Reached for comment by Fox News Digital, an Army spokesperson said the issues experienced at Fort Cavazos stemmed from "Combat Training Center rotations, operational deployments around the world, facility renovations, and support to Cadet Summer Training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, [causing] Fort Cavazos [to] be limited to running two Warrior Restaurants. Since August 1st Fort Cavazos has reopened multiple Warrior Restaurants on base. There are currently five opened facilities."
Overall, the Army is committed to ensuring the health and welfare of its soldiers and is taking steps to provide them with sustenance and quality of life, even in the face of a recruitment shortfall. With the reopening of the dining facilities, there is now hope that the base can return to providing meals to all of its troops.