U.S. troops could become more physically fit if cheeseburgers and other fast food were banned on military installations, says the Army’s highest-ranking Marine. Troy E. Black, senior adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made the comments on a popular military podcast.
“If you want to reduce obesity, serve different types of food in the cafeteria,” Black told hosts Alex Morrow and Drew Hammond during an episode of MOPs and MOEs Podcast. “Immediately remove all fast food restaurants from all facilities.”
Black discussed Fast Foot and the Pentagon’s role in promoting soldier physical fitness and human performance enhancement programs during a wide-ranging interview on the podcast. Black did not announce or suggest any changes to the current food offerings on military bases, but expressed his personal views on the role of nutrition in fitness.
Just as squad leaders are responsible for ensuring their troops have enough water and rest, Black said, the Pentagon must set human performance requirements. Because human performance is critical to success in war, Black said, the Department of Defense needs policies that support the physical, mental, social, spiritual and behavioral needs of troops.
Black said military cafeterias are contractually required to provide balanced meals with high macronutrient content. “Unfortunately, that can’t compete with a cheeseburger,” he added.
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“When you walk into a SOF (Special Operations Forces) installation – I’ve been to a few – there’s no such thing there because the focus is on the performance of the individual – not just physically – but every decision they make, and the investment in that individual is so great that they can’t afford to make exceptions in the other areas within their sphere of influence,” Black said.
Obesity is a problem for both the military and the American population in general. A 2023 study by the Washington, DC-based think tank American Security Project found that 68% of U.S. soldiers were obese or overweight.
Between 2012 and 2022, the obesity rate among active-duty soldiers more than doubled, from 10.4% to 21.6%, according to the study. At the same time, eating disorders among soldiers also increased by about 79% between 2017 and 2021.
“Despite being a chronic disease and having multiple FDA-approved treatment options, outdated body composition guidelines and stigma prevent effective treatment of obesity in the military,” the study said.
Black could not be reached for comment for this story. The position of Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman was created in 2005 as the highest-ranking noncommissioned officer in the military — it ranks higher than the senior enlisted advisor of any branch of the service — and is filled on a rotating basis by senior noncommissioned officers from all branches of the service.
As SEAC, Black advises Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on matters affecting noncommissioned officers. He is the fifth person to serve as the chairman’s senior enlisted leader.
Black is not the first senior military leader to propose banning fast food options for troops. In 2010, General Stanley McChrystal, then commander of all U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, banned Burger King and Pizza Hut from Kandahar Air Base.
McChrystal was fired shortly thereafter due to a catastrophic Rolling Stone Interview in which he and his staff were portrayed as denigrating the civilian chain of command, including then-Vice President Joe Biden. After his release, the fast-food restaurants returned to Kandahar.
During his podcast interview, Black suggested that the U.S. military could educate its troops to think differently about nutrition and then “eliminate any challenges associated with it.”
“Sometimes too many options are not good for our performance,” Black said.
But when Black was asked why the military doesn’t eliminate fast food on bases, he explained that these restaurants generate unrestricted funds – which don’t come directly from Congress – that pay for amenities for troops and families, including on-base swimming pools.
Without that source of funding, the military would have to ask Congress for money to fund morale, welfare and recreation programs, he said, adding that the funds appropriated were intended for war purposes.
“You can do a lot with nearly a trillion dollars,” Black said. “But can you fund softball, soccer, swimming pools and gyms? Can you fund those things in an approved budget? Are those things requirements of the Department of Defense?”
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