From Military.com:
“Troops at Colorado Space
Force Base Will Have to Bring Their Own To-Go Boxes for Dining Hall”
Space Force Guardians at
Schriever Space Force Base in Colorado will soon no longer have takeout boxes
provided to them at the dining hall, meaning troops will have to bring their
own containers from home if they want to take meals to go. Complaints about the
upcoming change quickly took over the Space Force's page on the social media
platform Reddit last week. A spokesperson for Space Base Delta 1 confirmed to
Military.com Wednesday that the change would take place at the on-base dining
facility, or DFAC, on Oct. 15. "As of 15 October 2024, the Schriever SFB
DFAC will no longer provide takeout containers for patrons," the spokesman
said. "This initiative is part of our ongoing efforts to reduce waste and
minimize our environmental impact. Individuals who wish to take their food to
go are welcome to bring their own reusable containers."
Schriever Space Force Base near
Colorado Springs is home to numerous around-the-clock missions ranging from GPS
operations, missile detection and warning, satellite communications and
high-level surveillance missions. As a result of those daunting and
time-consuming missions, many of the 8,000 Guardians, airmen and civilian
employees on base are often in a hurry and take their meals or leftovers from
the DFAC -- fittingly called the Satellite Dish Dining Facility -- to go.
The news was not well-received on
the Space Force subreddit. "So, if you're on crew at Schriever, or are
simply one of those people who doesn't have time for a real lunch break and
prefers (like me) to take a meal back to your desk and do working lunches,
consider this your heads up to go buy a bunch of food containers," one
commenter wrote. "I'm always impressed about how the negative-morale field
around Schriever is able to warp reality into ever more depressing states, but
this one takes the cake," the commenter added.
The Space Base Delta 1
spokesperson said Guardians can bring their own from home or can also buy their
own takeout containers from the on-base coffee shop -- also fittingly named the
"Bean Me Up Cafe." Additionally, Guardians can choose to sit and eat
their meal entirely at the dining hall. While the initiative is aimed at
reducing waste on base, the spokesperson added that they hope it will give
troops on base the opportunity "to take a break and enjoy a meal
together." The spokesperson added that the takeout container change is so
far only happening at Schriever and has not been rolled out at other Space
Force bases.
It appears other bases have tried
similar measures in the past. A 2014 Army news release said there was a
temporary pilot program allowing soldiers to bring their own takeout containers
to the DFAC at Camp Humphreys in South Korea. David Duffie, who at the time was
identified as working for the Camp Humphreys food management program office,
said the "program has been used at other installations and has saved,
depending on usage, up to $60,000 a year." The policy change at Schriever
comes as military dining halls struggle to offer more convenient and healthy
options for troops.
A report this summer from the
Government Accountability Office -- Congress' watchdog agency -- detailed that
many service members have come to rely on fast-food locations on or near base
instead of the dining halls because of a lack of quick options that are open
late. "For example, one large installation had 47 no appropriated fund
food [fast-food] venues offering service from 5:00 a.m. to midnight, in
comparison to 14 dining facilities, most of which closed by 6:00 p.m.,"
the report said. While some bases have installed takeout windows or
drive-throughs at their DFACs to offer more convenient options, GAO
investigators found that many of them did not follow proper nutrition
standards.
^ This has got to be one of the dumbest
ideas since the creation of the Space Force (which also doesn’t make since to
have.) Maybe the Space Force Administration at Schriever never got the memo that the Military marches on its stomach and since most Soldiers are taking their Lunches and going back to work you would think they would be aided in that work instead of hindered. ^
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