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By Kelsey Pauxtis
Expeditionary Technical Department (EX021)
The Navy Expeditionary Field Kitchen (NEFK) is a vital logistical asset designed to provide fresh, hot meals to personnel operating in remote or austere environments. Built with mobility in mind, these field kitchens are often transported via ships, aircraft, and ground vehicles, enabling rapid deployment to support expeditionary missions worldwide.
A challenge, however, is the kitchen’s size, making it bulky and difficult to transport, which can be problematic in expeditionary locations where flexibility and agility are paramount.
The Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center (NAVFAC EXWC) worked with the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center to create a new kitchen to meet the requirements provided by Naval Special Warfare Command (NSW), Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC), and Naval Surface Forces (COMNAVSURFPAC/LANT).
“It is a scalable solution, so you can serve 50 meals three times a day, or you can ramp up all the way to 600 with this kitchen. If you have a larger group size out in the field, you can have two kitchens and have the capacity of up to 1,200 meals three times a day,” explained one of the project leads, EXWC Engineer James Pilkington, with the Expeditionary Technical Department (EX511).
Equipped with state-of-the-art cooking appliances, this NEFK can ensure service members receive sustenance regardless of location, which helps boost morale and operational effectiveness in challenging conditions, he noted.
Designed for versatility and efficiency, the kitchen features modular components that can be assembled quickly in various terrains and climates. The NEFK features multiple cooking methods including convection, steaming, boiling, braising, and a flat top griddle. This flexibility makes the NEFK an essential component of Navy and Marine Corps expeditionary operations, where logistics and supply chains may face disruptions or limitations.
The previous kitchen solution was a 20-foot container that had a meal production capacity for 500 people. EXWC took that 20-foot container model, shrunk it by 66% to fit inside a 8-foot by 6.5-foot container (TRICON), and increased meal capacity. EXWC refined a prototype to a fieldable solution, implementing feedback from the Army and working with the vendor on design improvements to ensure the kitchen could meet expeditionary needs.
In March 2025, Pilkington and fellow project leads Terry Benham and Kelsey Pauxtis (EX021), James Triplett (EX21), along with NAVFAC Training Support Agency (TSA) and contractors, conducted New Equipment Training with members from Amphibious Construction Battalion (ACB) 1.
“We came to EXWC asking f or a more compact kitchen that would be easier in the field, but at the same time produce the amount of food required for our battalion,” ACB 1 Construction Electrician Second Class Jacob Raines said. “This new kitchen system is going to be much more versatile in the field, compared to the other systems that were larger and complex to move.”
Held at NAVFAC EXWC Headquarters at Naval Base Ventura County, the New Equipment Training demonstrated to Expeditionary Forces how to operate these advanced field kitchens effectively. The training included instruction on the safe and efficient use of the kitchen’s appliances, sanitation procedures, and troubleshooting techniques. The objective was to ensure personnel are well-trained in operating the NEFK to enhance mission readiness and allow for seamless meal delivery during deployment.
This innovative solution and the comprehensive training underscore EXWC’s and the Department of Defense's commitment to supporting the Fleet and warfighters and maintaining operational excellence and logistical resilience in even the most challenging environments.
| Date Taken: | 07.29.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.29.2025 17:05 |
| Story ID: | 544172 |
| Location: | NAVAL BASE VENTURA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 104 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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