Ashore Galleys: A Navy Business?
Published Date: November 1, 2003
Food service is a commercial activity. The provision of food service on the premises of other organizations is big business. It is highly developed, worldwide, and fiercely competitive. Corporations, universities, hospitals, resorts, entertainment complexes, and other such enterprises generally find it advantageous to use the services of outside providers. It is the long-standing policy of the federal government to rely on the private sector for needed commercial services. Nonetheless, the Navy is its own food service provider. It has almost 10,000 billets for mess management specialists and fills 95 percent of them. About four times that number of people-some military, some government civilians, and some contract personnel-fill other jobs in galleys afloat and ashore.
