Listen To Story Above
A shocking investigation has uncovered that the U.S. Army diverted over $151 million in funds earmarked for soldier meals at 11 major installations to unknown purposes, according to Military.com’s Steve Beynon.
The diverted money comes directly from soldiers’ Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS), a monthly $460 food allowance that gets automatically deducted from service members living in barracks. For junior enlisted personnel earning around $30,000 per year, this represents a substantial portion of their income.
The scale of fund diversion is staggering – of the $225 million collected from just these 11 bases, $151 million wasn’t used for food. Given that the Army operates 104 garrisons in total, the actual amount of misappropriated funds could be considerably larger.
SHOCK: The U.S. Army has diverted over $151 million meant for soldiers’ food, according to the Military Times.
Jarheads when the Army eats like kings and their food budget ain’t even 100%: https://t.co/Itl7xYFbAC pic.twitter.com/uaXGqUusgo
— Friend in the West (@friendinthewest) February 15, 2025
Despite repeated inquiries, Army officials have remained tight-lipped about where these funds are being redirected. They’ve only offered a vague response about basing food expenditures on historical dining facility attendance patterns. This explanation fails to justify why such a large portion of BAS funds aren’t being used to feed service members.
The fiscal year 2024 data obtained by Military.com reveals concerning disparities between collected and spent funds across bases. Fort Stewart in Georgia collected $17 million but spent only $2.1 million on food. Similarly, Schofield Barracks in Hawaii took in $14.5 million but utilized just $5.3 million for meals.
The problem is particularly severe at Fort Cavazos, Texas – the Army’s largest installation – where eight out of ten dining facilities were closed during summer 2023, creating significant challenges for soldiers seeking meals. At Fort Carson, Colorado, the situation was equally dire, with troops reportedly being served inadequate meals consisting of just toast and lima beans.
The Biden Admin corrupt misuse of funds ENDS NOW! Over $151 Million Taken from Soldiers' Paychecks for Food Costs Spent Elsewhere by the Army | https://t.co/Y8xoj2TJMB https://t.co/55Es2cRYx5
— Eric Burlison (@EricBurlison) February 14, 2025
Notably, all but two bases spent less than half of the collected food funds on actual meals. The exceptions were Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska and Fort Bliss, Texas, which still left 41% and 49% of funds unused respectively.
While major expenses like dining facility infrastructure and food service worker salaries are covered under different budgets, the Army’s lack of transparency regarding the redirected BAS funds raises serious questions about resource allocation and soldier welfare.
