New dining facility policies, meal cards for Kandahar Airfield residents

Photo By Tech. Sgt. Tyler Meister | According to new policies of U.S. Garrison Fragment Order 12-014, all of the current meal cards used in Kandahar Airfield’s dining facilities will be replaced by these new cards and take effect by the end of November. Missing is the fourth and final new meal card, which will be given to civilians with a letter of authorization, and it will have an orange color band.  

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, AFGHANISTAN

11.25.2012

Story by Spc. Tyler Meister 

117th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment (Hawaii)

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - The familiar scan-and-go entry at Kandahar Airfield’s dining facilities will be revamped with new policies and meal cards will be reissued to all dining patrons, a 655th Regional Support Group official said Nov. 18. The new policies which are set to take effect in late November, aim to eliminate fraud and the new meal cards promise to reduce excessive costs for take-out meals and ensure only authorized personnel possessing a meal card are eating in the airfield’s dining facilities, commonly referred to as DFACs.

The new policies will be implemented due to growing concerns about increasing dining expenses. The new policies, according to U.S. Garrison Fragment Order 12-014, include:

-New meal cards will be issued by unit commanders to federal employees, contractors and military personnel
-Take-out meals will be limited to military, federal civilians and contractors who request an exception to policy through the garrison commander
-Dining facility use by civilian transients will be reduced to those who possess a letter of authorization and they may only dine in the Niagara, Northline and Monti dining facilities. Local nationals are not allowed to have a LOA or meal card unless they are permanently living on the airfield.
-Soldiers in the Wounded Warrior Recovery Program are the only diners allowed to wear sports attire and physical fitness clothing in the dining facilities. Recognized religious head gear will be the only head gear authorized inside the dining facilities and only visiting local nationals are authorized to wear open toed shoes in the establishments.

All of the existing meal cards will be deactivated by the end of the month and new cards will be reissued to personnel with proper credentials. There will also be a new option available to civilian diners – hot and cold bagged meals – called mermites.

These increasing expenditures were caused by high numbers of patrons requesting take-out meals. Take-out meals cost $4 more than meals consumed in the dining facilities due to packaging costs.

There was also a growing concern that meal cards were being misused by unauthorized diners.

“We have no control over more than 50,000 individual cards due to how the old system was created,” said Col. Ernest Erlandson, the U.S. garrison commander of the 655th Regional Support Group. “These uncontrolled cards never expire and the possibility that they are being sold was a major issue that needed to be contained.”

Erlandson said the policy should control excess costs and ensure only authorized personnel receive compensated meals. He stressed the garrison isn’t trying to deny anyone the opportunity to eat, but simply control costs and meal distribution.

The mermites will only be available at the Far East and Independence dining facilities. All other dining facilities will give take-out meals to Soldiers and federal employee who possess a valid meal card.

For information on the new policies and meal cards, call DSN 318-421-8165. Diner are also welcome to provide their opinions on the new policies and meal cards on the comment cards available at all of the base’s dining facilities.

• Date Taken: 11.25.2012
• Date Posted: 11.27.2012 10:06
• Story ID: 98366
• Location: KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, AF