Shiny, gray slabs of food, pale tortillas, small scoops of shredded meat and handfuls of boiled carrots – that’s what U.S. servicemembers aboard ships in the Middle East are eating, according to recent reports.
It’s been nearly two weeks since USA Today first reported on the meager meals, focusing on the USS Tripoli and the USS Lincoln – and a new report from the outlet indicates things haven’t improved much. According to the outlet, “family and friends of sailors and Marines remain worried that the meals served to their loved ones deployed at sea are not keeping them nourished and well fed.”
In fact, even more family have reached out with concerns about what their loved ones are eating and photos of the skimpy meals offered.
“The mother of a sailor on the USS Abraham Lincoln said she was worried that her son had lost 20 pounds since his deployment began months ago,” USA Today reported this week. “She said he’d eaten a dry meat square atop a small scoop of rice for one recent meal and an off-color burger patty with a side of liquid nacho cheese for another. A man said he’d sent protein powder to a close friend on the USS Tripoli after she said she was too weak to work out.”
Newsweek obtained even more photos of barren food trays on the USS Abraham Lincoln. Both that ship and USS Tripoli were diverted from deployments in the Pacific Ocean to the Middle East, USA Today noted. That means they have been at sea longer than expected.
To make matters worse, mail delivery to military ZIP codes across the Middle East had been suspended as of early April. Packages from family that would have contained supplemental high-calorie food for servicemembers aboard ships was left in transit as the Strait of Hormuz remained blocked.
President Donald Trump announced in late February that the U.S. had joined Israel to attack Iran. Fighting dragged on for weeks. Though a ceasefire was called earlier this month, traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a key transportation route for much of the world’s oil, remains complicated.
While two defense officials told USA Today that the mail suspension was quietly lifted a week after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a ceasefire on April 7, they also said it could take time for packages from family to reach the U.S. ships.
“We have the strongest military in the world,” said the father of a servicemember aboard the USS Tripoli and a former Marine. “You shouldn’t be running out of food, and you shouldn’t not be able to get mail on the ship.”
Matthew Fenton, a retired captain who served in the Navy for three decades, said that the Navy often made purchasing arrangements in advance with ports in the Persian Gulf, like Dubai’s Jebel Ali located near the Strait of Hormuz, when he was in service. Due to the traffic blockages, Fenton said the ships might have limited access to food suppliers.
“A person familiar with current naval operations, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Navy’s logistics are likely stressed, and its supply chains are not as agile or flexible as they should be,” USA Today said. Indeed, former Navy officials cited by USA Today said the pictures of service members’ meals “looked markedly worse than the quality of eats during their time in Navy service.”
After USA Today’s initial report on April 16, Rep. Mark Levine (D-Calif.) said the food situation on the USS Tripoli and USS Abraham “is completely unacceptable and Congress must investigate.” He also accused Trump of starting a war “without a plan” and “without any congressional authorization.”
USA Today said a defense official who spoke on the condition of anonymity also confirmed that sailors and Marines “are eating more dried and canned food,” but said that the options offered should be sufficient from a nutritional standpoint. That official also said service members might be eating less because of the poor taste of the food.
Meanwhile, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations have denied any food issues on U.S. military ships, USA Today said. It also said the Navy declined to invite the outlet to a news briefing with the chief of naval operations and barred its reporter from entering. Following the April 16 report the Navy also released 19 “sleek, professionally produced photos it said accurately showed food service aboard the two ships.”
According to the defense official, one could question whether those photos depict reality. The Navy, the Pentagon, and U.S. Central Command declined further comment, USA Today said.
Reuters/Ipsos poll results published Tuesday show that support for the war in Iran continues to fall here in the U.S., with AAA showing that national average gas prices are still over $4 per gallon as Iran’s threats prevent most oil shipments from coming through the Strait of Hormuz. Just 34% of the 1,269 U.S. adults polled said they support the war, down from 36% in mid-April and 38% in mid-March. Trump’s approval rating also sank to the Lowest level of his current term,” at 34%, Reuters reported.
