genuine question who gets to decide what stores go inside a military base? I figured all the overseas 24-Burger-King-Deployment was show of force / taste of home stuff. But this is a domestic military base under no threat. Why is there privately owned stores? How are there privately owned stores? You’re an SF Commando, eat the mess hall gruel or whatever, surely?
My coworker used to work at a Subway on a base and they tell me all the land is federal property and lease agreements go through the DoD. So there’s probably some agency in the Pentagon that deals specifically with Burger King.
You submit proposals through the DOD or the local garrison command, usually there’s a dedicated business office on base that liaisons and handles the paperwork, after which you secure a lease if space is available and pass background checks and code inspections
Goes without saying big companies tend to win the bids, but smaller businesses typically in the form of home daycares pass the bar regularly
Typically which ever in-person presentation the garrison command or DOD representative likes the most, AFGE may or may not be involved depending on the size of the business
Fort Bragg is the largest military base in the world. It houses 260,000 people on 255 square miles. On your lunch break, would you prefer to hit a restaurant around the corner, or drive to a neighboring city (with a military checkpoint on the way back)?
There are certainly mess halls. I don’t know how they work: a lot of the personnel don’t live on base, others are civilians, and military families. But even if free food is available, plenty of people would rather pay to eat better food.
In short, military bases are small (or mid sized) towns. Yes, this provides a taste of home while deployed, but there’s no reason to run domestic bases differently and is convenient for all concerned.
Why is there privately owned stores? How are there privately owned stores? You’re an SF Commando, eat the mess hall gruel or whatever, surely?
Why would we not provide services to our active duty military nembers and their families? We definitely pour way too much money into the military, but I don’t think making them miserable is the idea when talking about cutting funding. I’m fairly certain AAFES is the branch of the DOD that deals with contracts to give basic retail services, such as fast food, banks, etc. to Army and Air Force bases.
Have you ever interacted with American soldiers? Recently? The average American is used to those things. I think we should change a lot about our society, but focusing on keeping fast food off of military bases is treating the symptoms instead of the problem. If the soldiers didn’t want that food, then those places wouldn’t make money, and the military makes more money through those contracts. This is a simple and expected outcome of a capitalist society. If those establishments exist, we should give our soldiers the choice of having them in their lives.
Do you know what our military bases actually look like? These people literally live on bases for years. There are elementary through high schools on bases. Filled with children who are only there because of their parents’ decisions. With teachers who aren’t active military either. Saying “these people should be satisfied with mess halls, and we should provide them with better mess halls” completely ignores everything else about the situation.
It’s even more of a failure than just straight-up charging the captive audience for their meals in the mess hall. Not only does the military not have to pay for the meals, they get paid by the businesses lmao. Bleed the boots dry by all means, but this is like the most american thing I can imagine.
Have you ever interacted with American soldiers? Recently? The average American is used to those things.
I am an average american and I am not used to those things. I go to work, and then I go home and cook a meal for my family.
and the military makes more money through those contracts.
So then why do they need my tax dollars if they have all these lucrative deals with multinational billionaire companies? Although, this is beside the point that I don’t think any part of the U.S. Military should be “making money.” JFC
This is a simple and expected outcome of a capitalist society. If those establishments exist, we should give our soldiers the choice of having them in their lives.
Why? I find that those establishments are neither healthy nor economical compared to a basic vegetables and rice meal.
Do you know what our military bases actually look like? These people literally live on bases for years.
Then I would expect the bases to have facilities that reflect this fact. That is proper logistical thinking, after all.
If the soldiers didn’t want that food, then those places wouldn’t make money, and the military makes more money through those contracts.
This is an entirely different problem. Why is your assumption that the base desire is for fast food and not out of a perceived more palatable alternative of a not shitty mess hall?
There are other surveys with similar results, but the average American doesn’t do what you do, so, in this regard, you aren’t average.
So then why do they need my tax dollars if they have all these lucrative deals with multinational billionaire companies? Although, this is beside the point that I don’t think any part of the U.S. Military should be “making money.” JFC
The way you think things should be, and the way they are aren’t the same. I agree with you, our military shouldn’t be making money. However, in a capitalist society we provide our military service members and their families amenities.
Why? I find that those establishments are neither healthy nor economical compared to a basic vegetables and rice meal.
Cool. Teach all our soldiers and their families how to do that, or convince the military to.
Then I would expect the bases to have facilities that reflect this fact. That is proper logistical thinking, after all.
They do. They’re called restaurants.
There are also contracted entertainment venues, banks, grocery stores, gas stations, etc. Should each military base provide their soldiers with unlimited gas to get around in their person vehicles, or are you okay with the gas stations? The better solution to that problem would be to upgrade public transportation, but I’m not going to get on a public forum and whine about gas stations on military bases in a society full of cars.
This is an entirely different problem. Why is your assumption that the base desire is for fast food and not out of a perceived more palatable alternative of a not shitty mess hall?
Because I have actually worked on a military base with soldiers. I didn’t say that their desire was for fast food. I said it was for basic services that they are used to and that are available to citizens outside of military bases. As I said before, you are complaining about a symptom of a much larger problem.
Why would we not provide services to our active duty military nembers and their families?
The US military is a predatory org that grooms people to sell their bodies and commit crimes against humanity in exchange for basic economic relief from a failing system. Active service members are the running dogs for the capitalist class.
Uncritical support to the US military making their bases more miserable to root out the Chinese menace.
genuine question who gets to decide what stores go inside a military base? I figured all the overseas 24-Burger-King-Deployment was show of force / taste of home stuff. But this is a domestic military base under no threat. Why is there privately owned stores? How are there privately owned stores? You’re an SF Commando, eat the mess hall gruel or whatever, surely?
My coworker used to work at a Subway on a base and they tell me all the land is federal property and lease agreements go through the DoD. So there’s probably some agency in the Pentagon that deals specifically with Burger King.
There is also a Subway inside the Pentagon… and it’s hiring!
You submit proposals through the DOD or the local garrison command, usually there’s a dedicated business office on base that liaisons and handles the paperwork, after which you secure a lease if space is available and pass background checks and code inspections
Goes without saying big companies tend to win the bids, but smaller businesses typically in the form of home daycares pass the bar regularly
How is the choice made if 2 or more businesses are proposing?
Typically which ever in-person presentation the garrison command or DOD representative likes the most, AFGE may or may not be involved depending on the size of the business
Fort Bragg is the largest military base in the world. It houses 260,000 people on 255 square miles. On your lunch break, would you prefer to hit a restaurant around the corner, or drive to a neighboring city (with a military checkpoint on the way back)?
There are certainly mess halls. I don’t know how they work: a lot of the personnel don’t live on base, others are civilians, and military families. But even if free food is available, plenty of people would rather pay to eat better food.
In short, military bases are small (or mid sized) towns. Yes, this provides a taste of home while deployed, but there’s no reason to run domestic bases differently and is convenient for all concerned.
Why would we not provide services to our active duty military nembers and their families? We definitely pour way too much money into the military, but I don’t think making them miserable is the idea when talking about cutting funding. I’m fairly certain AAFES is the branch of the DOD that deals with contracts to give basic retail services, such as fast food, banks, etc. to Army and Air Force bases.
It is treatbrained to think that not eating at Burger King = making them miserable.
Why not have a not-miserable mess hall as a rule instead of having the soldiers use their own pay on crunchwrap supremes?
Have you ever interacted with American soldiers? Recently? The average American is used to those things. I think we should change a lot about our society, but focusing on keeping fast food off of military bases is treating the symptoms instead of the problem. If the soldiers didn’t want that food, then those places wouldn’t make money, and the military makes more money through those contracts. This is a simple and expected outcome of a capitalist society. If those establishments exist, we should give our soldiers the choice of having them in their lives.
Do you know what our military bases actually look like? These people literally live on bases for years. There are elementary through high schools on bases. Filled with children who are only there because of their parents’ decisions. With teachers who aren’t active military either. Saying “these people should be satisfied with mess halls, and we should provide them with better mess halls” completely ignores everything else about the situation.
It’s even more of a failure than just straight-up charging the captive audience for their meals in the mess hall. Not only does the military not have to pay for the meals, they get paid by the businesses lmao. Bleed the boots dry by all means, but this is like the most american thing I can imagine.
I am an average american and I am not used to those things. I go to work, and then I go home and cook a meal for my family.
So then why do they need my tax dollars if they have all these lucrative deals with multinational billionaire companies? Although, this is beside the point that I don’t think any part of the U.S. Military should be “making money.” JFC
Why? I find that those establishments are neither healthy nor economical compared to a basic vegetables and rice meal.
Then I would expect the bases to have facilities that reflect this fact. That is proper logistical thinking, after all.
This is an entirely different problem. Why is your assumption that the base desire is for fast food and not out of a perceived more palatable alternative of a not shitty mess hall?
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/survey-shows-how-often-americans-dine-out/
There are other surveys with similar results, but the average American doesn’t do what you do, so, in this regard, you aren’t average.
The way you think things should be, and the way they are aren’t the same. I agree with you, our military shouldn’t be making money. However, in a capitalist society we provide our military service members and their families amenities.
Cool. Teach all our soldiers and their families how to do that, or convince the military to.
They do. They’re called restaurants.
There are also contracted entertainment venues, banks, grocery stores, gas stations, etc. Should each military base provide their soldiers with unlimited gas to get around in their person vehicles, or are you okay with the gas stations? The better solution to that problem would be to upgrade public transportation, but I’m not going to get on a public forum and whine about gas stations on military bases in a society full of cars.
Because I have actually worked on a military base with soldiers. I didn’t say that their desire was for fast food. I said it was for basic services that they are used to and that are available to citizens outside of military bases. As I said before, you are complaining about a symptom of a much larger problem.
The US military is a predatory org that grooms people to sell their bodies and commit crimes against humanity in exchange for basic economic relief from a failing system. Active service members are the running dogs for the capitalist class.
Uncritical support to the US military making their bases more miserable to root out the Chinese menace.
well why don’t we instead of making private business fill in the gaps?
agreed on this at least. we should be focusing on making them dead.