Napoleon and Frederick the Great are both credited with the saying ‘an army marches on its stomach’, knowing that troops need good food if they are to fight effectively on the battlefield.
But one of their golden rules for military success seems to have been ignored by British defence chiefs after the number of Army chefs was cut by almost two-thirds in the last 15 years.
Instead of using military-trained chefs to cook decent, nutritious meals for troops the Ministry of Defence now mainly relies on private contractors to serve up food that is being derided by many in the Army.
A soldier posted shocking pictures on social media of food served to troops training on a shooting range at Longmoor in Hampshire, calling it ‘the worst I’ve seen in 12 years of service’.
It included a bowl of raw chicken in soup and a meal merely comprising ‘meat water and a potato’.
Another warrant officer said he was ‘appalled’ after getting just a ham and cheese toastie as a meal.
Figures released by the MoD have revealed that the number of chefs has plummeted from 2,547 in 2010 to 868 today, a fall of more than 65 per cent.
In 2010, the Army comprised some 114,000 full-time personnel. But by last year, this number had fallen to around 75,000.
One former commander said the reduction in the number of Army chefs would ‘seriously damage morale’ and was ‘terribly short-sighted’ of the MoD.
During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Army chefs emerged as unsung heroes because they worked in intensely hot field kitchens, feeding hundreds of troops every day.
Good, hot food freshly cooked by qualified chefs was regarded as crucial to morale.
Army chefs are highly trained soldiers who are taught how to feed troops in field kitchens in austere conditions as well as serving up high-class cuisine to the top brass.