Military Redirecting Soldiers’ Food Allowance Funds to Other Purposes, Reports Show

A report reveals that the U.S. Army is reallocating funds amounting to millions of dollars obtained from the Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) of soldiers residing in barracks without access to food services. 

Originally intended to assist soldiers with food expenses, an investigation by Military.com discovered that out of the $225 million collected from BAS pay of enlisted soldiers at 11 major Army bases last year, a significant $151 million was utilized for other purposes. 

The report mentions that enlisted soldiers typically receive approximately $465 as their BAS per month, as stated on the U.S. Army’s website. The deduction, likened to a tax on military personnel, is subtracted from this amount, according to the findings shared by the source.

“It’s just returned to the big pool of Army funds, and it’s used someplace else,” an official told the outlet of the redirected BAS pay in an interview that was scheduled by the Army public affairs office. 

Food service worker salaries and dining hall infrastructure funds come from separate source, the outlet noted. 

The Army has struggled to provide meals for soldiers in recent years, the outlet reported, noting that its most extensive base, Fort Cavazos in Texas, only had two of its 10 dining halls open in the summer of 2023 and last November, Fort Carson in Colorado was forced to serve soldiers meals of just lima beans and toast. 

U.S. Army trainees eat lunch in the field while going through basic training at Fort Jackson on September 29, 2022 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Some bases have also started serving prepackaged meals from kiosks – that the outlet found were generally high in sugar and low in protein – a cheaper alternative to cooked dining hall meals.  

Spokesperson Maj. Andrea Kelly told the outlet that the number of meals was calculated “based on previous head counts” at base dining halls.

Officials in the past have pointed to lower interest in dining hall meals as soldiers frequently report undercooked meat, a lack of fresh ingredients, and unseasoned meals being served there. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Army for comment.