Operational Feeding

On deployment, troops are normally reliant on some form of combat rations, and move, over the course of a conflict, to a combination of group feeding from a field kitchen and the use of combat rations on an as-and-when required basis.

It is normally the intention to move away from combat rations as soon as possible, but inevitably, in a combat situation, troops may have to remain on rations as their main (if not their sole) source of food for a period of many weeks rather than days. For this reason the composition of the rations is important in terms of the amount of energy they provide and the nutrients they contain. Attention to these issues will help to sustain performance, and may also help to keep troops healthy and free from illness.

At QinetiQ, QCDN has been instrumental in evaluating and helping to design future UK Operations Ration Packs (ORP). Projects have focused on the guidelines and legislation governing combat rations, the chemical composition of ORP food components, the compliance of ORP with existing guidelines, tri-service user acceptance of ORP, and the energy requirements of operational scenarios.