The Mess Kit Mess Affair A comparison of military problem-solving approaches, then and now
Prolog. The military system of acquiring materials is complex, convoluted, and generally not well understood by many. The same can be said of the US military as so few Americans have or will serve in the armed forces or be employed by any element of the Department of Defense. This general lack of knowledge is apparent in how the American public interact with the Department. Then there is the media blitz of such luminaries as the former Secretaries of Defense and the former Chairmen of the Joint Staff releasing a document on “best practices” for the Commander in Chief (read President) for interacting with the individuals in these positions in the future. And, there is the newly released book from former Marine Lieutenant Colonel Stewart Schiller titled Crisis of Command. This paper is a tongue in cheek attempt to illustrate the issue for many. Taking ques from the Marine Corps Tentative Manuel for Expeditionary Advance Base Operations (TMEABO), the use of scenarios helps to clarify those elements.
Background. In 1909, the US Army Quartermaster Corps realized a requirement for a set of eating utensils and plates so that soldiers would be able to have a hot meal while in the field or in combat conditions. The result was the M1910 Mess Kit which when combined with the canteen and canteen cup M1910 would allow soldiers to have beverages hot or cold along with hot meals from field kitchens. The result was a simple solution that was durable in the field environment, easily cleaned, and conveniently carried by the soldier in the rucksack.
This simple but vital piece of military equipment served from 1910, through World War I, the inter-war years of the Banana Wars, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War in all branches of the US military. Finally succumbing to the plastic tray and plastic utensils along with contractor run dining facilities in the combat and or field environment in the mid to late 1980’s.
Then in the 2020’s, there was a realization that the plastic utensils and trays were not environmentally friendly and not inline with the National Defense Strategy as established by the Biden administration. Something had to be done. The below is a look at how the US military addressed a problem with this system of systems in 1944 and today.
Then
1944, Somewhere in the South Pacific. The combined forces of the US military on a Pacific Island preparing for upcoming amphibious invasion. Mess kit handles were failing. This was creating a morale problem as soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen could not enjoy a hot meal comfortably when their mess kit broke.
The Army approach. The platoon sergeant approached the company first sergeant with the mess kit failure problem. As they talked, the first sergeant asked if this could be fixed at the company-level. The platoon sergeant wasn’t sure, but he had a private that had been an engineering student at MIT. The first sergeant tells the platoon sergeant to have Private Smuck look at it and come up with a solution. The next day, Private Smuck and the platoon sergeant show the first sergeant the solution. It was simple and could done at the company. Within days every soldier had a modified mess kit. Within a matter of days, the solution had been shared with the entire Army and Army Air Forces contingent on the island. Private Smuck was awarded a Bronze Star with Combat V as he and the unit were in an active combat zone. In no time the solution spread throughout the Army in all theaters. Private first class Smuck survived the was and returned to complete his engineering degree at MIT using his GI Bill benefits.
The Army Air Forces approach. Experiencing the same mess kit issue as their ground compatriots, the Supply and Repair Squadron first sergeant talked to the ground company first sergeant and was made aware of the solution. Not wishing to have his airman do this type of work, the first sergeant asked the ground first sergeant if his unit could do the work for the S&R Squadron. The price would be agreed to as 20 cases of beer and two bottles of whiskey. A fair deal for all involved. All of the airmen quickly had good mess kits and the cost did not adversely impact the unit’s supply of beer or whiskey. The S&R Squadron CO was happy and awarded his first sergeant a Silver Star as the unit was in an active combat zone. The solution quickly spread throughout the Army Air Forces units in theater and to the other theaters. A good cottage business was created, and it fostered good relations between airman and the ground pounders.
The Navy approach. The Seabee and Beachmasters were co-located and shared virtually everything to include the mess kit failure issue. The chiefs were discussing it one day in the Chiefs Mess. One had acquired a repaired Army mess kit. He shared with his fellow chiefs. One of the Seabee chiefs said he had a sailor that could do this but better. The next day he showed the work to his fellow chiefs. Sure enough, it was better. But the Seabees could not mass produce for all. Luckily the next day, one of the Seabee chiefs was scheduled to take the boat out to the repair ship (ARS) anchored in the lagoon. The leading chief in the metal shop on the repair ship said he could have this done this in no time. As booze on a ship was not a good idea, this was a cash only deal. Not a problem for the Seabees and Beachmasters. They gladly paid for the service. The ARS chiefs had a better mess which they shared with the other rates mess. The solution quickly spread throughout the fleet and to other Navy units worldwide.
The Marine approach. The company first sergeant approached the company gunny with the mess kit problem because his mess kit had broken. The company gunny told the first sergeant that it was a problem impacting the entire company, but he had heard of a solution when he was at the Army side of the island. The first sergeant told the gunny to solve the problem for the company. The next day the gunny informed the first sergeant that the problem had been solved by reappropriating Army retooled mess kit stocks. The first sergeant asked where the new mess kits were. Just then a six-by arrived (the Army term was duce and a half for 2 ½ ton truck). The gunny pointed to the six-by and said: “in the six-by”. First sergeant: “who’s six-by?” Gunny: “oh the Army guys felt sorry for us and included it with the mess kits.” First sergeant: “Great, make sure that you put our tac mark on it.” Gunny: “already done”. First sergeant makes a note that the gunny is ready to be promoted to first sergeant as he can solve problems without supervision, provided that the Army doesn’t come looking for the six-by.
On VE Day, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General of the Army Dwight Eisenhower was asked by the press his thoughts on the mess kit mess. The General answered “there was no problem too large or too small that the American soldier could not solve. The mess kit was as important to victory as the Jeep.” On VJ Day, General of the Army Douglas McArthur was asked by the press his thoughts on the mess kit mess. General McArthur answered: “What mess kit mess? Our boys solved the problem.”
Today
Today, somewhere in the South Pacific. As the saber rattling continued to increase with the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), American forces began deploying to the Indo-Pacific Command theater of operations. Slowly the American forces began to disperse across the vast stretches of the Pacific to generally unoccupied islands of nations supporting and allied with the United States against the PRC threat. This is when the problem began to surface. These unoccupied islands had no buildings for contractor operated dining facilities. The host nations (owners of the islands) would not allow the Indo-Pac Command to build these facilities as the host nation deemed such facilities as being environmentally unfriendly. The host nations also prohibited the import of plastic trays and utensils as also being environmentally unfriendly. American forces subsisted on Meals Ready to Eat (MREs). The MREs were not intended to provide sustenance for long periods of time and were harmful to digestive systems. The MRE also created a lot of waste, and the heating elements were deemed environmentally harmful. Luckily the Army, Marines, and Navy (land-based units only) had retained field kitchens and were able to quickly move these kitchens and mess personnel (cooks) to the necessary locations. All Air Force and Space Force personnel were assigned to the Army, Marines, and Navy for subsistence support (those services had to provide funding to the providing organization). Unfortunately, no one had trays to serve this hot food upon and paper plates could not be used due to the high humidity, rain, and the fact that land fills or burn pits could not be used as being environmentally unfriendly. American forces were in a pickle. Very quickly, the component commanders (Air, Land (Army & Marine), Naval (Navy, Marine, Coast Guard), Special Operations Forces) developed an Urgent Needs Statement (UNS) and forwarded to Commander US Indo-Pacific Command for consideration. The Commander, US Indo-PacCom, immediately had her staff create a Joint Urgent Needs Statement (JUNS) and forwarded the same to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon. Within the Joint Chiefs action was assigned to the J8 for action. The Director J8 assigned the Council of Captains and Colonels to review the JUNS for validity. The Council quickly concurred and referred the matter to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The Secretary of Defense (SecDef) became involved in the matter as it had garnered media attention.
The SecDef ordered the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Acquisition to establish the Joint Program Integration Executive Office Mess Kit (JPIEO MK) to handle the situation. The ASD Acquisition created JPIEO MK and requisitioned an Army general officer to head the office. Brigadier General (BG) Smuck was assigned by the Department of the Army (DA). BG Smuck was the great grandson of PFC Smuck of WWII fame. The other services were assigned to fill billets for the Deputy JPIEO MK, the Air Force; Program Manager Tray (PM Tray), the Marines; PM Utensils, the Navy; PM Canteen, the Army. At the same time the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) directed the J8 of the Joint Staff to initiate the Joint Capabilities Integration Development System (JCIDS) process. The J8 assigned executive agency for the Mess Kit JCIDS process to the Army General Staff. Assistant Secretary of Defense Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflicts got wind of the issue and insisted the Special Operations Command be given a liaison billet with JPIEO MK. This was promptly filled with a contractor position. Commander USJSOC directed the contractor that his position would be that USSOCOM would not provide any information or data as USSOCOM missions were highly classified but that USSOCOM would review all JPIEO MK data and information for concurrence or nonconcurrence.
The Army approach. The Army Chief of Staff called for a meeting with the concerned commands to discuss the mess kit issue. This was a virtual meeting using classified systems as the JCIDS process for mess kit could involve discussion of classified information. Primary attendees were the Army Chief of Staff, commanders of the Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), the Army Futures Command (AFC), the Army Materials Command (AMC), and the Army Test and Evaluation Command. Also invited as an attendee was the JPIEO MK, BG Smuck, USA. The conversation went something like this: CoS to attendees – “this is too important for us to mess up. TRADOC the branch proponent should be logistics”. TRADOC commander – “Ma’am, PM Soldier should be involved”. CoS – “okay, direct liaison (DirLaAuth) is approved but PM Soldier does not have disapproval authority”. “Futures do whatever analysis products you have to do but make sure this comes back to support a program of record (POR). Futures – “Yes Ma’am”. CoS – “I don’t want to give a material solution here, but these new mess kits need to be in Army Combat Uniform (ACU) camouflage”. AMC – “Maybe we should include the Soldiers’ name and rank. When the Soldier is promoted, he or she can then survey for a new issue?” All agreed that was a good idea. Futures – “if we do this right, we can add a brigade command to every Army corps and a theater command with a general officer commander. This is Big Army.” CoS – “Now you’re talking!” Let’s name this the Advanced Individual Combat Environment Dining Family of Systems (AICEFS).
The Air Force Approach. The Air Force Chief of Staff assigned two individuals to lead the Air Force solution to the mess kit problem. Colonel Robert Dewy and Chief Master Sergeant John Cheatem, Doctor Management (DM). Both were slated to retire within the year. On their first meeting the conversation went as such: Dewy – “John I really don’t need this.” Cheatem – “Bob, not that big of a problem. Here’s what we do. First, we do a non-compete contract award to a Small Business Administration (SBA), Veteran-owned, minority-owned small business. That solves the acquisition problem. No need to have a POR as we can use contingency funds. But we do need two types of kits. The first one in Air Force blue with the Air Force logo and the airman’s name and rank. The second one for Air Force personnel assigned to ground units that might be in ground combat situations in camouflage. Again, with the airman’s name and rank. As the individual gets promoted, they survey the old for new. That gets us to the second issue of an Air Force distinguishing device and the award criteria. We can knock that out next week and still have time to make a tee time over at Andrews.” Bob and John do exactly that. Within the year they are retiring. Both are awarded a Legion of Merit for their inspirational leadership and innovative thought in development of the Air Force mess kit program. As they were so heavily involved in the mess program, both are awarded the first two Air Force distinguishing devices, in the grade of Master Mess Kitman. As Bob and John became good personal friends, upon retirement they formed Dewy Cheatem Enterprises, a disabled veteran and minority owned SBA 8A business. John was Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) with Robert being the President and Chairman of the Board. The company manufactures mess kits for the Department of Defense.
The Navy approach. The Navy staff (N Staff) assigned the mess kit program to the N8, Requirements. The Deputy Chief of Naval Operations – Requirements (N8) assigned responsibility to a soon to retired SeaBee captain (Captain Bill Right, USN CEC) on the staff. Captain Right realized that he had two problems to solve. First, he needed an immediate short-term solution for mess kits. Knowing that the Navy Chief was the first line of problem-solving Captain Right put out an All-Navy request for a solution set. Within days the fleet responded. Very quickly the SeaBee community were able to develop dies and tooling to press out mess kits from existing stainless-steel stocks. The results were not pretty but worked and were durable. The N8 staff quickly issued approval and instructions to those Navy units requiring mess kits to use existing stocks to construct the mess kits and issue to Sailors requiring the mess kit. Captain Right then started work on the long-term solution. Realizing that the Marines were most likely already addressing the problem, he quickly located the Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) and Marine Corps Combat Development Command (MCCDC) action officers and initiated a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Marines to work with the Corps on the long-term solution. For his actions, Captain Right was awarded the Legion of Merit upon his retirement. Upon his retirement, he was immediately hired by Dewy Cheatem Enterprises as the Chief Product Engineer. The Navy Department (Navy and Marines) withdrew from the JPIEO MK.
The Space Force approach. What? Did not participate in JPIEO MK as the need for mess kits was not established.
The Coast Guard approach. HQCG decided that this will have to be funded by the Navy under Title 10, United States Code.
The Marine Corps approach. The HQMC and MCCDEC action officers weren’t sure what to do as both were infantry officers (0302) and this had not been covered at the Basic School (TBS). They drafted an All-Marine (ALLMAR) bulletin that was released to the Marine Corps seeking solutions to the mess kit challenge. (Note, Marines do not have problems, they have “challenges”.) In the meantime, somewhere in the South Pacific a young Marine lance corporal by the name of Smuck was bored. Smuck was the great, great grandson of Army Private Smuck of World War II fame, and the son of Army BG Smuck, JPIEO Mess Kit. Lance Corporal Smuck had left MIT at the end of his junior year to join the Marine Corps. He was currently enrolled in MIT to complete his engineering degree via extension or online degree program. Part of his degree program required him to design and produce a 3D printed product. As he was in need of a mess kit, Smuck designed a 3D laser printed complete mess kit with accessories (lid, fork, knife, spoon, and canteen cup). His section gunnery sergeant (Gunny) saw Smuck using his printed mess kit and liked it. The gunny was aware of the ALLMAR, and submitted Smuck’s design for consideration. As Smuck had printed his kit in the Marine Corps Pattern (MARPAT) camouflage and had included the Eagle Globe and Anchor (EGA). The design was accepted by HQMC and MCCDC. As a result, Smuck was awarded a Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal and meritoriously promoted to corporal. He also completed his degree requirements from MIT and earned his BS degree. However, Smuck was denied reenlistment as he had twice scored less than first class on his Marine Physical Fitness Test (PFT) and the Marine Combat Fitness Test (CFT). As Smuck had used Marine Corps property for personal gain, a investigation was started by the CG of the Marine Logistics Force. Smuck was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps and is now employed as a Production Engineer with Dewy Cheatem Enterprises. The investigating officer found that Smuck had misappropriated government property, but the real fault lay with Smuck’s company commanding officer. That officer was relieved of company command and issued a letter of reprimand for not properly supervising the actions of his subordinates. The company executive officer (XO) was assigned to command the company as when questioned by the investigating officer if she knowledge of Smuck’s actions, she answered “No”. The lieutenant was promoted to captain and continues to promote ahead of her peers. Realizing his Marine career was at a terminal stage, the former company commander resigned. He is currently employed by Dewy Cheatem Enterprises. While not implicated in the investigation, Smuck’s battalion commander was not selected to attend top level school (TLS) and was not selected for promotion to colonel. He retired from service but was hired by Dewy Cheatem Enterprises to head the marketing department. HQMC and MCCDC turned the product over to Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSYCOM) for acquisition. A sole-source, non-competitively awarded contract for an 8A set-aside was awarded to Dewy Cheatem Enterprises. HQMC decided that a program of record (POR) approach was not needed as the mess kits could be fielded using contingency funding provided by Congress. The Marine Congressional Liaison Office, diligently persuaded members of the House and Senate Armed Services and Appropriations Committees to support the request. The Marine Corps withdrew from the JPIEO MK.
The US Special Operations Command approach. The Commander of US Special Operations Command decided that the JPIEO Mess Kit was operating far too slow for her command’s needs. As a result, the USSOCOM initiated requirements through congressionally authorized special acquisitions authority via the Assistant Secretary of Defense Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflicts to acquire mess kits. Using “black” funding, the program was classified and publicly available for examination. However, the contract award was given to Dewy Cheatem Enterprises on non-competitive contract as the company had prior experience producing the required product, was useful as an 8A set aside contract, and had classified materials and information authority.
Prologue. After five years of effort the Army was unable to achieve program of record (POR) for the Advanced Individual Combat Environment Dining Family of Systems (AICEFS). The effort was discontinued. The JPIEO was disestablished as none of the requirements had been established or completed. All of the Army general officers retired, being awarded either the Defense Distinguished Service Medal or the Army Distinguished Service Medal. All are currently serving as members of the board, Dewy Cheatem Enterprises. The new Army Chief of Staff directed that the Army procure a mess kit based upon the Marine Corps design (Mess Kit Marine M2022) but adapted for Army use (ACU camouflaged). A sole-source contract was awarded to Dewy Cheatem Enterprises as the company was the only company in the United States with a production record for the mess kit. Robert Dewy and John Cheatem were able to sell their company to a major defense company with a large contract backlog. Robert and John are enjoying their retirement in the US Virgin Islands.
About the Author. Constant P. “CP” Craig, call sign Cracker. The author is a retired commissioned officer of the United States Marine Corps. He was a designated Naval Aviator. He has held command of a Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Company (now squadron). His work included development activities for a number of projects and now programs. Upon retirement he spent time as a defense and homeland security contractor supporting the US Army and US Marine Corps in a variety of programmatic support contracts to include developing several concepts into existing programs of record. He also completed contracts supporting FEMA and a number of state and local governments with regards to emergency management and threat/hazard assessment and exercises. He has also held office as an elected official, mayor of a small community. He has recently retired as a professor from a major on-line university where he was a full-time faculty member and lead for the homeland security program of the university. He continues to teach in the field of homeland security as an adjunct faculty member.