A New Zealand Army soldier tries a US military MRE — or Meal, Ready-to-Eat — and compares it to New Zealand MREs. An MRE is designed to sustain soldiers during training or an operation while food-service facilities are inaccessible.
Sam, a bombardier serving in the New Zealand Army's 16th Field Regiment, asked us not to use his full name for operational-security reasons.
While much of the American MRE Sam tries resembles a New Zealand MRE, he shared some terms that many Americans may not be familiar with, such as "scroggin." We asked Sam to heat up an MRE's main course of creamy spinach fettuccine using the flameless ration bag. He also reveals what he plans to eat once he's back home in New Zealand.
In November 2023, the New Zealand Army participated in the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center training exercise hosted by the US Army's 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii.