More than a quarter of serving military members struggle to put enough food on the table and many are too worried about committing career suicide to ask for help, warns a Pentagon report.
An exhaustive study by RAND Corporation researchers paints a grim picture of military life, with 25.8 percent of service people unable to provide their households with enough food to ‘live an active, healthy life.’
Those most affected were at the start of their careers, serving in the Army, or to a lesser extent in the Navy, frequently living on bases in Texas, Georgia, California, North Carolina, and Virginia, researchers found.
Many complained that they often had to skip meals, that grocery shopping trips did not fill pantries for as long as expected, or that they simply could not afford to put balanced meals on the table.
Worse still, many refuse to ask for help, in case commanders thought they managed their finances poorly, hurting their career chances and even leading to a loss of security clearance.
The 181-page document, which was produced for Congress, is just the latest study to spotlight the struggles of cash-strapped service members, and it comes as the Army faces its worst recruitment crisis in decades.
‘The survey indicates that a high percentage — a quarter of people — are reporting being food insecure. And that’s a high level,’ Beth Asch, a RAND economist who co-authored the report, told DailyMail.com.
Using data from 2018, researchers found that two thirds of the service members without enough food were in their early or the middle of their careers. Many were from an ethnic or racial minority.
Those living on military bases were the most profoundly affected — 30 percent lacked enough food to keep their families healthy, compared to 23 percent for service members living off post.
Even so, only 14 percent of those in need reported using food banks or financial support schemes to help them make ends meet in the previous 12 months.
Many do not seek help because of the ‘military culture of self-sufficiency and pride’, researchers said.
Others worried about a career stigma or losing their security clearance if they told commanders about their financial problems, they added.
Asch says there is ‘no silver bullet’ to fix a problem with a range of underlying causes.
A member of the 82nd Airborne Division feeds her five-month-old child at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where poverty, hardship and food insecurity are rife
Service members are often young, supporting themselves for the first time, and cannot manage household budgets well, she added. Some have had to bail out cash-strapped relatives.
Many also work irregular hours and have to relocate frequently, which can make it harder for spouses to keep a steady income.
‘While the military does offer financial literacy training, maybe there are opportunities for improving that,’ said Asch.
The findings echo concerns about money, pay, benefits and hardship faced by many service members and their spouses who have told DailyMail.com about family life in uniform.
President Joe Biden last month signed into law a record $858 billion in annual defense spending, which included a 4.6 percent pay increase for the troops and more money for the basic needs allowance.
A Family Day ceremony at Fort Jackson in September 2022 in Columbia, South Carolina. Newcomers to the Army serving at bases are among the most likely to struggle putting enough food on the table
The spending boost comes as Pentagon officials warn that the forces, especially the Army, are struggling to attract new recruits, hurting efforts to maintain a military lead over strategic competitor China.
The Army missed its recruitment goal for the 2022 fiscal year by 25 percent or 15,000 soldiers, the Pentagon said last year. In July, it also cut its projection for the overall size of its force and projected another decline in 2023.
Researchers from the Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN) last year found that the number of military personnel who would advise others to enlist sank nearly 12 points to 62.9 percent between 2019 and 2021.
Three quarters of those surveyed were in debt, more than half could not save, 61 percent had trouble paying rent and a troublesome 17 percent said they were so cash-strapped they could not always put enough food on the table.
Army chiefs have spoken of ‘unprecedented challenges’ in bringing in recruits, leading to a shortfall of as many as 15,000 soldiers last year. Pictured: Army recruiters at a career fair in Michigan
