A-ration

The A-ration (officially Field Ration, Type A) is a United States military ration consisting of fresh, refrigerated, or frozen foods. A-rations may be served in dining facilities, prepared in the field using field kitchens, or prepared at a fixed facility and transported to field locations in containers.[1] Its modern successor is the Unitized Group Ration – A (UGR-A), which combines multiple types of rations, including the A-ration, under one unified system.[2]

United States Marine Corps-issued A-ration, colloquially known as a "bag nasty" or "box nasty". In this case the box held two sandwiches, cereal, fresh fruit, crackers, peanut butter, jam, a muffin, salt, pepper, and a drink.

The A-ration differs from other American alphabetized rations such as the B-ration, consisting of canned or preserved food; C-ration, consisting of prepared wet food when A- and B-rations are not available; D-ration, consisting of military chocolate; K-ration, consisting of three balanced meals; and emergency rations, intended for emergencies when other food or rations are unavailable.[3]

Unitized Group Ration A

A-rations today may include the Unitized Group Ration – A, a hybrid meal kit designed to feed a group of 50 people for one meal. The UGR-A has several different varieties, including a tray-based heat and serve (T-rat) form, heated by hot water immersion when a field kitchen is not available,[4] or the express form, with a self-heating module and disposable accessories.[5] The UGR-A is used to sustain military personnel during worldwide operations that allow organized food service facilities.

The UGR-A includes perishable/frozen type entrees (A-rations) along with commercial-type components and perishable/frozen type entrees to provide the luxury of an A-ration meal in the field, configured into individual meal modules for ease of ordering, distribution, and preparation. The UGR-A has at least 9 months shelf life (at 80 °F or 27 °C for semi-perishable modules and at 0 °F or −18 °C for perishable modules).[6]

Notes
  1. "The Alphabet Soup of Army Rations". Fold3 HQ. 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  2. Institute of Medicine, Committee on Military Nutrition Research (1999). Not Eating Enough: Overcoming Underconsumption of Military Operational Rations. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-55656-9. OCLC 923266927.
  3. U.S. Department of the Army (1967). Ration Breakdown Point Operations. United States: U.S. Government Publication Office. OCLC 1102669230.
  4. UGR-H&S factsheet Archived July 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  5. UGR-E factsheet Archived July 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  6. Defense Logistics Agency, Operational Rations: UGR-A Archived July 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  • Website on Military Nutrition Research – This website documents more than a century of scientific inquiry conducted by, for, and about the U.S. military to promote and sustain the nutritional health of military personnel and citizens alike.
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