Defense Department nutritionists are developing a new food option for troops in the field called “first-strike rations” that provides warfighters with their daily nutritional needs in a single compact, lightweight form that is easy to carry and use on the move. The FSR reduces the weight and volume of today’s standard military ration, the “meal, ready to eat,” or MRE, by 50 percent, said Andy Young, chief of the military nutrition division at the Army Institute of Environmental Medicine. “The first-strike ration, in essence, is issued at one per warfighter per day, instead of two or three MREs,” he said. The FSRs, based on warfighter feedback, include items such as a pocket-style sandwich. They have already been tested with US Forest Service firefighters, Army rangers, and Marines stateside. The next step is to expand the FSR menu and conduct field testing. (AFNS report by Christen N. McCluney)
The Pentagon plans to use U.S. Air Force C-17s and C-130s to deport 5,400 people currently detained by Customs and Border Protection, officials announced Jan. 22, the first act in President Donald Trump’s sweeping promise to crack down on undocumented immigrants and increase border security.