Army Pfc. William Watkins grabs an entree from a refrigerator in one of the newly opened kiosks at Fort Carson on Thursday in Colorado Springs.
Colorado's senators and a bipartisan mix of other lawmakers called on the Secretary of Defense Friday to provide answers following an investigation that showed the Army is diverting a large portion of money collected from junior service members that should be spent on food.
A Military.com investigation showed that across 11 of the Army's largest bases "more than $151 million of $225 million collected from soldiers was not spent on food." The money was deducted from junior enlisted service members paychecks to cover the cost of food on base. At Fort Carson, the investigation showed $22 million was collected from soldiers and $5 million was spent on food during the 2024 fiscal year.
"It's unclear what specifically the additional funds taken from soldiers are being spent on, but they do not appear to be going toward feeding soldiers. Major expenses such as dining hall infrastructure and food service worker salaries come from separate funding sources and, when pressed repeatedly by Military.com, Army officials declined to provide additional financial data," the online outlet reported.
The money collected from soldiers is intended to cover the cost of meals at cafeterias and grab-and-go kiosks. The kiosks provide meals at Fort Carson on weekends when the cafeterias are closed. They offer items such as sandwiches, microwavable meals and salads.
Military Fort Carson making changes to dining after soldiers voiced complaints By Mary Shinn mary.shinn@gazette.com
The letter called on Secretary Pete Hegseth to provide clarity on how the DOD funds its meals.
"If a servicemember is losing money from their paycheck because they are being given a meal, it is reasonable for them to expect that funding would be used only to cover the cost of providing it," the letter stated.
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The investigation also pointed out that the quality of food has been lacking. It found that kiosks often offer foods high in sugar and low in protein. In some cases, including at Fort Carson, dining facilities have also struggled to provide full or well-made meals. Soldiers complain about meals anonymously via the Hots & Cots online app, showing undercooked food or an insufficient quantity.
At Fort Carson, some of the problems around meal quality at the dining halls arose from a rotating schedule. One cafeteria served dinner each month and that created confusion and some difficulty estimating how many soldiers would show up at meal times, The Gazette previously reported. In January, all the cafeterias on base started serving all three meals on weekdays. The base is also soliciting more feedback on meals, among other changes.
Fort Carson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter.
The lawmakers asked Hegseth if there are barriers to providing nutritious food and if it needs any additional resources or authorities to provide it. The lawmakers asked Hegseth to respond by April 31.
"Through your experience as a junior officer, you can empathize with the importance of a reliable, nutritious dining facility, and its importance to morale, the letter said.
The letter was signed by Colorado Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet along with five other senators and 14 congressmen. The mix of lawmakers included 14 Democrats and seven Republicans.