![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Jul. 25th, 2011
Meet the New Boss
Jul. 25th, 2011 11:47 pmIt's astounding how large bureaucracies keep making the same mistakes, over and over.
Early in WWII, the US military established a requirement for a short-term emergency ration. Something - for example - which paratroopers could stuff in their pockets to eat if they couldn't link up with regular troops quickly. The result was the K-ration. Because of the original requirements K-rations had little variety or taste, and too few calories to sustain an active man. Yet somehow the military transformed this into a complete daily ration, and the K-ration became the default ration for soldiers in many front areas.
Soldiers in isolated areas were fed K-rations exclusively, sometimes for months on end. The military persisted in this even after well-documented reports of malnutrition appeared. The last in large part due to the military insisting that only one three-meal K-ration be issued per man per day, no matter how active they were. Remember, these were intended to keep a solder fed short-term when they couldn't be properly fed.
The MRE was designed as a short-term patrol ration, something convenient to carry in the field. It was not meant for long-term use. In large part because the original requirements meant there was very little fiber in the meals.
The military now feeds some troops exclusively on MREs, sometimes for months on end. Despite a legion of complaints from troops and reports strongly condemning this practice by the military's own researchers.
Early in WWII, the US military established a requirement for a short-term emergency ration. Something - for example - which paratroopers could stuff in their pockets to eat if they couldn't link up with regular troops quickly. The result was the K-ration. Because of the original requirements K-rations had little variety or taste, and too few calories to sustain an active man. Yet somehow the military transformed this into a complete daily ration, and the K-ration became the default ration for soldiers in many front areas.
Soldiers in isolated areas were fed K-rations exclusively, sometimes for months on end. The military persisted in this even after well-documented reports of malnutrition appeared. The last in large part due to the military insisting that only one three-meal K-ration be issued per man per day, no matter how active they were. Remember, these were intended to keep a solder fed short-term when they couldn't be properly fed.
The MRE was designed as a short-term patrol ration, something convenient to carry in the field. It was not meant for long-term use. In large part because the original requirements meant there was very little fiber in the meals.
The military now feeds some troops exclusively on MREs, sometimes for months on end. Despite a legion of complaints from troops and reports strongly condemning this practice by the military's own researchers.
