The First Strike Ration (FSR) is a compact, eat-on-the move ration concept from the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, designed to be consumed during the first 72 hours of conflict, created by the

United States Army Soldier Systems Center The Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Soldier Center, now CCDC SC, was formerly the United States Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, and is a tenant unit of the United States Army Natick Soldier System ...

Natick, Massachusetts Natick ( ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 37,006 at the 2020 census. west of Boston, Natick is part of the Greater Boston area. ...

. The Army said the FSR substantially reduces weight and load and is intended to enhance a consumer's physical performance, mental acuity, and mobility.

Features

The FSR is a new assault ration developed to provide mobile soldiers with a variety of foods that are lightweight, calorically dense, familiar, and which are more "easy to consume" than

intermediate moisture food Intermediate moisture foods (IMF) are shelf-stable products that have water activities of 0.6-0.84, with a moisture content ranging from 15% - 40% and are edible without rehydration. These food products are below the minimum water activity for ...

s. * Enhanced mobility – components are described as "familiar, performance-enhancing, eat-out-of-hand" foods that require little or no preparation by the soldier. The beverages are reconstituted ( CamelBak compatible) and consumed right out of the pouch. No water is needed for food preparation, only for the

beverage mix A drink mix is a processed-food product, designed to mix usually with water to produce a beverage resembling fruit juice or soda in flavor. Another type of drink mix is represented by products that are mixed into milk. It is traditionally made i ...

. The food takes the form of

pocket sandwich Pocket sandwich is a sandwich which is made using a single piece of folded or hollowed bread, such as a pita, which is made from dough cooked with fillings inside. Types of pocket sandwiches * Hot Pockets * Fougasse * Calzone * Stromboli * Pit ...

es to be eaten by hand.Heidelberg Soldiers taste test new MREs
/ref> * Lightweight – when compared to three Meals, Ready-to-Eat, the FSR reduces the weight and volume of one day's subsistence by approximately 50%. * Characteristics – has a minimum two year shelf life at and provides an average of 2,900 calories per day. The FSR has nine meals per shipping container consisting of three each of three different menus up through 2010. Since 2011 there are 9 different meal combinations per shipping container. * Meals – Each pouch contains items for a breakfast, lunch, and a dinner. Although there is no requirement to consume the items in any specific order. A current Menu 1 ration contains: *Filled French Toast *Bacon Cheddar Breakfast Sandwich *Pepperoni Pocket Sandwich *Jalapeno Cheese Spread *Wheat Snack Bread *Dessert Bar, Peanut Butter *First Strike Bar (

HOOAH! Bar The Soldier Fuel bar, formerly known as Hooah! bar, is a dairy-based calcium-enriched energy bar created by the United States military in 1996. It was originally provided to military personnel packaged within a field ration, such as the Meal, Read ...

) *Beef Snack, Teriyaki *Beef Snack, BBQ *Snack, Pretzels *Zapplesauce, Cinnamon *Nut Fruit Mix, Type III *Chocolate Protein Drink Mix *Beverage Base Powder *Caffeine Gum *Accessory Package

References

External links

First Strike Rations Menu

{{USmilitaryrations Military food of the United States