DoD COMBAT FEEDING DIRECTORATE
T
U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research,
Development and Engineering Center
he director of the ComFOOD ENGINEERING
HEADQUARTERS PERSONNEL
bat Feeding DirectorAND ANALYSIS TEAM
ate (CFD) provides vision,
(FEAT):
Commander
leadership, technical manTeam Leader: Lauren
U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research,
agement and program inOleksyk
Development & Engineering Center
tegration for this total life
The FEAT develops
15 Kansas Street
cycle program. The program
technologies that imNatick, Mass. 01760
executes research and enprove the nutritional
nsrdec.natick.army.mil/index.htm
gineering of all combat raquality,
organoleptic
tions for the four services
properties, stability and
and the Defense Logistics Agency
shelf life of ration components
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
(DLA), as well as field food service
for both individual and group raCOMBAT FEEDING
equipment and combat feeding systions. This multi-disciplinary team
DIRECTORATE (CFD)
tems for the Marine Corps, Navy
of food technologists and chemand Air Force. Advanced developists builds better products through
Office of the Director
ment of Army field feeding equipunique product formulation and
Stephen Moody
ment and systems is managed by
employing advanced thermal and
Director
the Product Manager Force Sustainnon-thermal novel processing and
ment Systems (PM-FSS) in partnerpreservation techniques. The team
Jeremy Whitsitt
ship with the CFD. In addition to
focuses on improving quality and
Team Leader
program integration, planning and
stability of intermediate moisture
reporting, the office of the director
foods using next-generation huris also responsible for outreach and
technologies, polymeric microdle technologies to develop new
education initiatives, to include all
spheres, polymer/clay nanocomshelf-stable sandwiches, breakfast
activities centered on promoting
posites, alternative materials for
and bakery items. They conduct
careers in Science, Technology, Ensecondary packaging, high-barrier
chemical and sensory analysis of
gineering and Math.
coatings, liquid-crystal polymers,
foods to ensure safety and accepbio-based, biodegradable and sustance of shelf-stable rations. In
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
tainable materials for ration packaddition, FEAT supports NASA’s
BRANCH
aging systems and lightweight and
Stabilized Foods for Extended
Branch Chief: Betty Davis
compostable packaging. These efSpaceflight program and multiple
forts seek to stabilize and protect
advanced food processing technolFOOD PROTECTION AND
foods against microbial, chemical
ogy consortiums.
INNOVATIVE PACKAGING TEAM
and physical deterioration under
(FPIPT):
extreme environments and the
PERFORMANCE NUTRITION
Team Leader – Josh Magnone
military logistics systems, while
TEAM (PNT):
The FPIPT is the preeminent
increasing ration consumption
Team Leader – Ken Racicot
provider of advanced materials,
and reducing food and packaging
The PNT develops novel, nupolymer processing technologies
waste. The team supports other
trient-dense ration components
and revolutionary packaging conteams in the Combat Feeding Difor optimized warfighter perforcepts that maintain, sustain and
rectorate, as well as NASA’s food
mance. The team works closely
provide the warfighter with rations
packaging program and DoD’s enwith the U.S. Army Medical Redelivering the highest performance
vironmental programs. This team
search and Materiel Command’s
level, overall quality, nutrient recollaborates with academia, indusResearch Institute for Environtention and safety. Current efforts
try and other government orgamental Medicine to assess the
include research and development
nizations to transfer technology
nutrient bioavailability and physiof high-barrier non-foil polymeric
that will enhance food safety and
ological status in developed comstructures, permeability modelprotect the health of the deployed
ponents for all environmental
ing, advanced polymer processing
warfighter.
extremes. The PNT also manages
102 GOVERNMENT FOOD SERVICE • OCTOBER 2015
DoD COMBAT FEEDING DIRECTORATE
innovative science and technology
projects, including in-vitro screening of nutraceuticals, synergistic
compounds to enhance bioactive
absorption, functionality of encapsulated oils, advanced nanosystems with emerging rations
and co-extruded alternate delivery systems; all of which have the
potential to provide tomorrow’s
warfighter with increased physical and cognitive performance on
the battlefield. Additionally, they
conduct chemical, microbiological
and sensory analysis of targeted ration components to ensure safety,
bioavailability and acceptance of
supplemented shelf-stable ration
components.
EQUIPMENT AND ENERGY
TECHNOLOGY TEAM (EETT):
Team Leader – Anthony Patti
The EETT conducts innovative research and develops,
demonstrates and transitions technologies that reduce the logistics
of field feeding while improving
the quality of food service. The
EETT works collaboratively with
Product Manager-Force Sustainment Systems (PM-FSS), Force Provider, the Combined Arms Support
Command (CASCOM), the Joint
Culinary Center of Excellence (JCCoE), and Joint Services in support
of the warfighter.
ENGINEERING AND MANUFACTURING DEVELOPMENT BRANCH
Branch Chief: Bob Trottier
COMBAT RATIONS TEAM (CRT):
Team Leader – Jeannette
Kennedy
The mission of the CRT is to
maximize warfighters’ ability to
fight and win by sustaining them
on the battlefield and enhancing
their operational effectiveness in
all environmental conditions. The
goal is to achieve continuous improvement of the entire suite of
operational rations while simulta-
neously enabling greater variety,
increasing warfighter acceptance,
optimizing nutrition, increasing
shelf life and improving logistics
via cost, weight and volume savings. The CRT receives successfully
transitioned technologies from
in-house science and technology
efforts and from suitable commercial suppliers, then demonstrates
and validates the ability of those
technologies to meet the key performance parameters established
by the joint services. The team
provides pre- and post-award support to procurement throughout
the entire life cycle of the ration.
RATION SUPPORT AND SENSORY
ANALYSIS TEAM (RSSAT):
Team Leader: Mary Nash
The RSSAT prepares, coordinates and approves procurement
documents that comply with DoD
Acquisition Reform initiatives to
ensure that operational rations provide adequate nutrition in accordance with the Nutrient Standards
for Operational and Restricted Rations (NSORs), while being highly
acceptable to the user. They approve
all First Articles and Product Demonstration Models used to procure
military rations and components.
The Armed Forces Recipe Service
is another component of the team
that supports all of the services by
executing projects involving development, testing, standardization and nutrition coding of new/
current recipes used for garrison
feeding, aboard ships and in field
training. The recipe work includes
expanded variations accommodating various levels of preparation intensity and alternative food service
equipment designs.
JOINT FOODSERVICE AND
ENGINEERING TEAM (JFET):
Team Leader: Bob Bernazzani
The JFET designs, develops and
supports best value, technologically
advanced food service field-feeding
104 GOVERNMENT FOOD SERVICE • OCTOBER 2015
equipment and systems to enhance
quality of life and performance for
the Navy, Air Force and Marine
Corps, and conducts engineering
support and standardization for
the Army, DLA, Integrated Logistics
Support Center (ILSC) and the U.S.
General Services Administration
for fielded food service equipment.
The JFET also conducts product
development of rations/menus for
the Air Force and Navy, including
production of Tube Foods for the
Air Force. The team also participates in the support requirements
and analyses of new military food
service equipment in the design,
development, fabrication, test and
evaluation of concepts.
FOOD SERVICE EQUIPMENT
TEAM - PRODUCT MANAGER
FORCE SUSTAINMENT SYSTEMS
FOOD SERVICE EQUIPMENT
TEAM (PM FSS FSET):
Team Leader: Joe Jordan
In partnership with CFD, the
FSET focuses on the engineering
and manufacturing development
and the production and deployment phases for food service equipment that consistently provides
warfighters the capability to enjoy
hot group meals in combat and/
or training environments. Responsible for projects that field robust,
efficient and proven equipment
and systems for field feeding, ration storage and sanitation of field
food service equipment, the team
operates and categorizes its programs into four functional areas:
prepare rations and food products;
maintain, stabilize and distribute
rations; heat-and-serve rations for
remote feed; and sanitize fieldfeeding equipment and remediate
waste. The FSET works with CFD
science and technology teams,
DLA Troop Support, the Combined Arms Support Command,
the JCCoE, and the Integrated Logistics Support Command.
—GFS