Porkchop shenanigans, allegedy crappy boat food, and the Great BAS Debate of 2020

[Spekkio]

The BAS is defined as an amount meant to offset the cost of feeding the servicemember. If that's the case - why are enlisted given more? Are they hungrier? Why am I forced to pay more than BAS underway whereas they have it automatically taken out, but still less than one month's BAS? Ultimately, I think O's and E's should be paid the same amount in BAS and the Navy should set our monthly meal rate to be = BAS or at least no greater than BAS. All DoD services should be equal - either make your dudes pay or don't when you're deployed.

Because enlisted crew don't get BAS at all whenever attached to a ship. Not even chiefs. They are expected to eat every meal on the ship or in the galley. I learned this the hard way when I caught an earful as a LTJG for scheduling an event during in port breakfast but didn't coordinate to move the meal hour.

Whoever made the policy correctly assumed that officers will eat a substantial amount of meals out in town, so we don't get BAS for that. Add up the time in flight school and post JO shore duty where you eat one meal at the galley if that, and you'll quickly see that you're benefitting from this deal despite being in the red when underway. My understanding is enlisted in the airwing get BAS so maybe AM2 makes even better... It's okay to give him a win.

The tl;dr is yes it's broken, but in a way that financially benefits you in a substantial way. Let it be.

 

[SlickAg]

Because enlisted crew don't get BAS at all. Not even chiefs. They are expected to eat every meal on the ship or in the galley.

That may be so in the black shoe navy, but not in the brown.

Just like how they don’t get sea pay except when underway despite being on “sea duty”.

 

[taxi1]

Whoever made the policy...

It’s actually law. Out of big Navy’s hands.

37 U.S. Code § 402 - Basic allowance for subsistence

www.law.cornell.edu

 

[Spekkio]

This is more or less correct. The Navy eliminated closed messes (which is how wardrooms used to operate), switched to a standardized 21 week menu that is decided upon by SUPPOs somewhere in DC, streamlined the logistics pipeline for food, placed severe restrictions on how and why SUPPOs at sea could step out of the logistics system (takes a lot of work and the money just isn't there), and began removing/replacing galley equipment that was either high maintenance or "unhealthy" or both. This all happened around the same time the Navy decided that all A-school training would shift over to computer-based instruction. This meant that young CSs were being taught to select select the appropriate meal recipe cards (literally a PMS card for a dish), select the appropriate bags/cans/boxes of "food" from the storeroom/reefer, then follow the directions exactly as printed. This was supposed to reduce training budgets, manpower requirements, and make life easier on the SUPPOs. It really did none of those things. Now you have CSs who don't know their rate, are shit on constantly because the food sucks, and there's not much that can be done about it without large changes in Washington.

An example: Our skipper wanted hard pack ice cream in the middle of deployment. His idea was to throw a big ice cream social in order to boost morale which was sagging due to a high OPTEMPO and us being in River City for nearly a month due to Firescout being a piece of shit. There literally wasn't money available to buy it and the supply system didn't have it in stock. All we could get was autodog. I'm not sure what scheme SUPPO came up with, but I'm pretty sure he had to draw up special funds out of MWR or something to buy the ice cream. It was ridiculous, but he knew how to hustle.

We're still talking about cooking, right? This is a basic life skill, it's not like rebuilding an engine.

How is a CSC having to train a new CSSN any different than training a new line cook at a restaurant? This process should normally take a few days at most, with some added oversight if the recipe is more complicated/finicky (like steak). I get the Navy doesn't have the best ingredients, but it's not hard at all to make sure that the food is cooked to the correct amount of doneness with the proper amount of flavoring. Funny how the cooks will often rediscover this estranged skill if hosting a VIP. That isn't a problem fixed with policy in Washington, it's a problem fixed with shipboard leadership. I've been on boats that do this well and poorly - same food, different cooks.

Also, someone seriously dropped the ball if your CO either didn't know that there was no money for ice cream, or thought there was but wasn't. However, your point stands that the chop screwing up the books can lead to crappy meals just as much as cooks who turn surf and turf night into rubber and leather.

 

[GroundPounder]

We're still talking about cooking, right? This is a basic life skill, it's not like rebuilding an engine.


Also, someone seriously dropped the ball if your CO either didn't know that there was no money for ice cream, or thought there was but wasn't.

Maybe the CO was more concerned about the strawberry supply, and overlooked the ice cream situation.

 

[Spekkio]

That may be so in the black shoe navy, but not in the brown.

Just like how they don’t get sea pay except when underway despite being on “sea duty”.

I acknowledged that above. The point still stands - This is one of those things that fixing would result in a pay cut to all involved. Be careful what you ask for.

 

[SlickAg]

I acknowledged that above. The point still stands - This is one of those things that fixing would result in a pay cut to all involved. Be careful what you ask for.

Fix it to where you only get sea pay for time spent not pier side. Those cost savings alone would eclipse that.

 

[MIDNJAC]

Fix it to where you only get sea pay for time spent not pier side. Those cost savings alone would eclipse that.

Yeah, that whole double standard has always made me scratch my head. I always giggle to myself when I hear SWOs (or other shoes) bragging about their sea time. I also can't even imagine the misery of being in ship's company. I'd submit the extra money maybe makes that enduring suck not quite as horrible. My last CVN deployment made up my mind that the only ship I'm ever setting foot on again is a civilian ferry.....

 

[Jim123]

We don't have to sleep at the squadron every once or twice a week when we're shore based, so there is that. I'm not sure what my pay point for that would be, whether sea pay would offset the misery or not.

(Life hack: be on a sea going staff that is "embarked" on the flagship while it's in port.)

/br

Breaded hamster is still a thing underway, right? Please don't tell me the 21 Day Menu doesn't have breaded hamster!

 

[snake020]

We should totally start a thread about this.

Orher annoying things:

Vending machines are refilled using the Navy’s supply system, yet where does that money go? The Navy has already “bought” the Coke...so what happens to the dollar I just paid? Is that the price it cost to supply me with the Coke, or is someone making money off this deal?

It is the same as the NEX. It sustains the retail operation, any profits go to ship MWR.

"Navy" does not buy the Coke; the funds come from NWCF and ships stores have to be self sustaining and pay back the NWCF.

 

[Gonzo08]

We don't have to sleep at the squadron every once or twice a week when we're shore based, so there is that. I'm not sure what my pay point for that would be, whether sea pay would offset the misery or not.

(Life hack: be on a sea going staff that is "embarked" on the flagship while it's in port.)

/br

Breaded hamster is still a thing underway, right? Please don't tell me the 21 Day Menu doesn't have breaded hamster!

Dude, one of the best days of my last deployment was Hamsters lining up with Faturday Pizza/Wings bar; I felt like I was going to explode.

 

[HAL Pilot]

Fix it to where you only get sea pay for time spent not pier side. Those cost savings alone would eclipse that.

Playing devil's advocate, the Shoes would respond with paying only flight pay for the days you actually fly.

 

[SlickAg]

Playing devil's advocate, the Shoes would respond with paying only flight pay for the days you actually fly.

Aviators on shore duty still get flight pay when there is ZERO chance of them flying.

But I could totally see leadership rolling over on this.

 

[Brett327]

Breaded hamster is still a thing underway, right? Please don't tell me the 21 Day Menu doesn't have breaded hamster!

It does, thank goodness.

 

[Jim123]

(Bet you read it in his voice.)