Pentagon boosts housing money for troops, as hunger persists

By ROBERT BURNS and LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon will increase housing payments for troops in key areas and look into ways to combat hunger across the force,. That word comes from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and it’s the department’s latest effort to address food insecurity among service members. Austin says troops have enough to worry about and that “basic necessities like food and housing shouldn’t be among them.” According to an estimate by Feeding America, as many as 160,000 active-duty military members are having trouble feeding their families. The group estimates that 29% of troops in the most junior enlisted ranks faced food insecurity during the previous year.