Military shuts down fast food in Afghanistan - "It's not an amusement park"

[richlevy]

From here

Now knowing how badly suppliers rip off the military, for all I know the Pentagon's cost for a Whopper could be the same as a rocket launcher, but even so this seems sort of tough.

In the sprawling military base at Kandahar, the fast food outlets facing the axe include Burger King, Pizza Hut, and the U.S. chain restaurant T.G.I. Friday's that features a bar with alcohol-free margaritas and other drinks -- all set along the bustling "Boardwalk" area of the base.

The U.S. military says its beef with the burger joints is that they take up valuable resources like water, power, flight and convoy space and that cutting back on non-essentials is key to running an efficient military operation.
"This is a war zone -- not an amusement park," Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Hall wrote in a blog earlier this year.
"Supplying nonessential luxuries to big bases like Bagram and Kandahar makes it harder to get essential items to combat outposts and forward operating bases, where troops who are in the fight each day need resupply with ammunition, food and water."

I guess you don't get to be Sgt. Major without learning how to tell the difference between a war zone and an amusement park.

I think troops who are in the fight each day might like to know they can get a slice of pizza when they get off the front lines. I can only assume that they know that they're in a war zone. After 8+ years in Afghanistan, are our supply lines so fragile that we can't ship pizza and mortar rounds at the same time?

Not an amusement park? How are we going to break the news to Big Sarge?

[xoxoxoBruce]

That's Command Sgt. Major, and he knows better than anyone the supply lines fragility. The air traffic at Bagram and Kandahar is horrific, and he wants the supply lines, to the guys actually doing the fighting, not to be compromised supplying nonessentials to the guys that are at those bases as support.

There are no front lines, the people fighting are scattered at outposts where they are in constant combat with the enemy. They are stuck there until their unit is rotated out, or they are flown out on a litter. Either way, when they past through Bagram or Kandahar, pizza is the last thing on their minds.

The Command Sgt. Major is obviously more concerned for the safety and welfare of the fighting units than the off duty pleasure of the support personnel at the relatively safe supply bases.

I would suggest that you follow Mike Yon's descriptions of how this war is playing out.

[richlevy]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

That's Command Sgt. Major, and he knows better than anyone the supply lines fragility. The air traffic at Bagram and Kandahar is horrific, and he wants the supply lines, to the guys actually doing the fighting, not to be compromised supplying nonessentials to the guys that are at those bases as support.

There are no front lines, the people fighting are scattered at outposts where they are in constant combat with the enemy. They are stuck there until their unit is rotated out, or they are flown out on a litter. Either way, when they past through Bagram or Kandahar, pizza is the last thing on their minds.

The Command Sgt. Major is obviously more concerned for the safety and welfare of the fighting units than the off duty pleasure of the support personnel at the relatively safe supply bases.

I would suggest that you follow Mike Yon's descriptions of how this war is playing out.

So after 8 years we have not built up the infrastructure to support our supply chain? That is kind of scary.

Don't the line units get rotated back to the bases?

[Spexxvet]

Is there any "suplly line" difference between providing a slice of pizza to a soldier in TGIF, or in the mess hall?

[classicman]

Who is working at these restaurants?

[glatt]

probably Halliburton contract workers, or similar.

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by glatt

probably Halliburton contract workers, or similar.

I hope they wear their flair!

[classicman]

really?!?!?!? I wouldn't have expected that type of employee from them.

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by classicman

really?!?!?!? I wouldn't have expected that type of employee from them.

Could you imagine Big Sarge wearing flair?

[Pete Zicato]

What are you talking about? Everything Big Sarge does has flair.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by richlevy

So after 8 years we have not built up the infrastructure to support our supply chain? That is kind of scary.

No, we were distracted by Iraq, remember. When we got back to the real problem, Afghanistan, there was even less supply chain. Russia pressured, and bribed, it's former USSR states not to let us use airspace, and the only land line through Pakistan has become unreliable by stepped up Taliban attacks on both sides of the border.
Don't forget there are a hell of a lot more troops to supply now, and they are using a lot more materiel with the increase in fighting.

Don't the line units get rotated back to the bases?

As I understand it, the fighting units may sometimes change outposts as the campaign dictates, but they are in the thick of it for the duration of their tour, then rotated home as a unit. I haven't read anything about R&R during their tours.

Counter-insurgent warfare is up close and personal, the units work like sports teams. They have to trust and depend on each other, and you just can't rotate unknown people in and out. They are stretched pretty thin, in most cases, anyway. The current "surge" is manning more outposts, but they are still small units.

Bagram and Kandahar are support and command bases, operating full capacity air traffic, both military and commercial, 24/7.

[TheMercenary]

So when all of you armchair quarterbacks were there what did you think?

[Aliantha]

My cousin who just got home from there had a couple of weeks off during his tour. He didn't think it was a picnic being at the base regardless of the fast food joints around, and he much preferred getting care packages from us here at home than going to burger king or any of the others.

I didn't ask him, but I don't think he cared if there was junk food available or not. He was there to do a job and just wanted it done as quickly and safely as possible.

[TheMercenary]

And then to get home in one bit. Good on him. Glad he is OK.

[jinx]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

So when all of you armchair quarterbacks were there what did you think?

Arm chair. That's it.... I kept thinking monday morning but knew it wasn't quite right. Thx.