Feeding in the Field: Military kitchens get modern, compact redesign

As the military continues to modernize and reshape warfighting capabilities, the field kitchen is also being reimagined with forward-deployed expeditionary forces in mind.A joint Navy-Army effort has developed the Navy Expeditionary Field Kitchen (NEFK), a lightweight system that can be quickly assembled and disassembled when forces need to relocate. State-of-the-art redesign                Currently a prototype in limited production, NEFK came from an Air Force project that the Army’s Natick Soldier Systems Center in Natick, Massachusetts, assumed to improve the 20-foot, 13-ton containerized kitchen for easier transport by air, ground or sea. That initial project supported feeding a company-sized unit of 150. The Navy’s new kitchen is designed to feed three daily meals for up to 600 personnel, says James Pilkington, an engineer with Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center in Port Hueneme, California. “We want something lighter, easier to set up and still has the capacity to feed different group sizes in the field,” says Pilkington, a NEFK project lead.Engineering teams shrunk it in size and weight to under five tons, by configuring “Tricons” — 8-foot by 6.5-foot containers — to expand walls on three sides. “It really gives a lot of different options … that allows a lot of flexibility in the field,” he says. The container is insulated and protected from weather and palletized for easy transport using a forklift for loading onto vehicles or aircraft.“We worked hand in hand with (the Soldier Systems Center) to develop this system,” Pilkington says. They retrofitted that design, added state-of-the-art equipment “and really tried to maximize the usable space.”Inside, it looks like a large, modern food truck with all the bells and whistles: sleek high-tech appliances; a stainless-steel prep area, workspaces and wash station; quick-service windows and bright LED lighting. Commercial-grade appliances, with deep-tilt skillet and griddle, enable sailors to cook more food faster.The Navy’s redesigned kitchen joins several mobile feeding systems the military services use. The Air Force’s new expandable single-pallet expeditionary kitchen is similar to NEFK, with modern, efficient appliances and an improved layout. The Army has a containerized kitchen that feeds 800 soldiers and a smaller company-sized battlefield kitchen. The Marine Corps’ expeditionary field kitchen – a 20-foot container with an expandable structure and tents – feeds 750. Smart technology improves efficiency, enhances mealsSailors learned how to operate the kitchen during a March 2025 training session in Port Hueneme.Three NEFKs fit on a truck that carries one existing kitchen, “so now you’ve got 1,800 meals that we can do a day,” says Construction Electrician Second Class Jacob Raines with Charlie Company, Amphibious Construction Battalion (ACB) 1, based in Coronado, California.ACB 1 Culinary Specialist 1st Class Travon Lee prefers the redesign over the current system with separate containers for scullery, cooking and serving. “This one, it shrinks it into one container, and with that tent, we can put this kitchen in many different environments,” Lee says, adding it ensures cooks “can take care of the crew and get them back into the fight, wherever that is.”Smart self-cleaning convection ovens with pre-set menus are “really high quality,” he says. “You can (connect) [JA1] your phone or USB (to) upload new recipes or create your own.”While meals often are “heat and serve” rations, the skillet allows some creativity. “You can do steaming, broiling, braising, all that stuff in there,” says ACB 1 Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Krystina Sosa. Touchscreen controls allow them to program specific foods, like bread, to cook while they prepare or serve other meals, she notes.The NEFK is outfitted with air conditioners and heaters, which is a huge improvement over the existing kitchen, Sosa says, one that makes them more mission capable.In late 2024, several ACB 1 Seabees saw a prototype and learned about its appliances, electrical wiring, generators, climate control systems and plumbing. “It’s definitely a complex system,” Raines says. “Luckily, we have the resources that we do need, so if something does go down, we can effectively repair it and get it back in the fight.”In March, Seabees practiced setup and teardown. The system is easy to set up, Raines says, and “when it’s time to close it down, everything will fit back inside.”Constructionman Marces Butac Kahawai got the opportunity to sample some of the food. “It was pretty good. You could definitely live off that when you’re in the field,” says Butac Kahawai, who enlisted two years ago.Raines, who’s been in the Navy for 10 years, says the kitchen will be a big morale booster. “When I was doing my field exercises, I would eat (Meal, Ready-to-Eat Rations) for a month or so,” he says. “If the troops aren’t getting fed,” he adds, “then the warfighters aren’t happy, and they’re not as effective.”