Several military veterans interviewed by the Daily Caller had choice words for the Pentagon for a new plan that could see troops get fed lab-grown meat.
BioMADE, a Pentagon funded company, proposed a plan to reduce the Military’s carbon footprint by feeding active members lab-grown meat, according to their project call release in May. BioMADE has received over $500 million in funding from the Department of Defense (DOD), according to the Washington Free Beacon. Several veterans told the Caller the proposal is indicative of the Pentagon viewing troops as “lab-rats.”
“I think the government should focus on letting the military protect our nation from enemies, foreign and domestic, sometimes, but you know, that’s what the military is there for,” Martin Bailey, a former U.S. Special Forces member, told the Caller. “They’re not there to be experimental lab-rats.” (RELATED: ‘All For A Political Agenda’: Vets Blast White House For Bragging About Biden’s Visits To War Zones)
Lab-grown meat, or “cell-based meat,” is still in an experimental phase of development, only having received initial government approval for sale last year. The “meat” grown in a lab is composed of animal cells and added chemicals that aim to aid in the manufacturing of meat without animals being slaughtered, according to The Washington Free Beacon.
Should U.S. troops be fed experimental lab-grown meat? The Department of Defense thinks so. 🧵
— Center for Environment and Welfare (@EnviroWelfare) June 10, 2024
One veteran raised concerns about troops’ willingness to test the new dishes, pointing to previous experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There’s a large number of active reserve guard members who are still a little jaded from the COVID shot and are very unwilling to be part of the new experiment,” Tim W., a former Navy Seal of 22 years, told the Caller.
The timeline of the SLAM Project Call started on June 3 with the release of the initiative, and the start date of the project will be February of 2025, according to the BioMADE release.
The DOD under President Joe Biden has increasingly prioritized lowering the military’s carbon footprint. One way to do so could be by developing “nutrient-dense” rations for the military through novel “meat” production processes, the SLAM project proposal stated.
Matt Spence, a former Defense Department official, believes that the most high-impact, immediate way to address climate change is for the U.S. government to invest in alternative ways to produce meat, he said in 2021.
In addition to the concern with climate change, the Pentagon has also requested $140 million to expand diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
“The military’s job is forward defense, alliance, solidarity and deterrence, and that’s it” Rob O’Neill, a former U.S. Navy Seal, told the Caller. “All that other stuff is crap … this is typical Washington DC nonsense movement.”
“You know, why doesn’t the government feed experimental meat product that, you don’t even know what it is, why don’t they feed that to, let’s say, homeless people,” Bailey said. “Well, there’s a reason they don’t, because that would be completely unethical. So why is it ethical to stick it down the throat of our military service members?”
The U.S. Military’s rations are already subject to scrutiny without the addition of lab-grown meat. MRE’s are sometimes referred to as ‘Meals, Rarely Edible,’ and civilians have often viewed them as more of a novelty item than real meal option.
“It appears that until new Defense Department leadership builds a winning force, service members will continue surviving off scraps,” Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller told the Caller.
“The purpose of the military is to win our wars and to kill our enemies” Eric Greitens, former Governor of Missouri and Navy SEAL, told the Caller. “Trying to force troops to eat lab-grown meat to reduce CO2 emissions, is the height of woke nonsense. It’s such a stupid idea, that in any sane world it would be considered a joke. When you add woke nonsense like this to the debacle in Afghanistan, and the policy of kicking people out of the military for refusing the experimental COVID-19 vaccine, you begin to understand why the military is facing a massive recruiting crisis.”
An upwards of 8,400 members of the military were “forced out” because they declined to get the COVID-19 vaccine, according to an article published by The Associated Press in Feb. 2023.
“It’s pushing it, pushing woke agenda on the military…” O’Neill said. “All it’s saying is because the military’s top concern is climate change, which is complete BS. And it’s the same thing with trying to put Chinese-made solar panels on the Pentagon. They’re wasting their time with nonsense.”
Lab-grown meat and the military’s carbon footprint should be the least of the US government’s worries, O’Neill said.
“It’s a shame that we’re going to find out the hard way who our real enemies are, as we’re, you know, don’t think China, Russia and Iran are worried about lab-grown meat,” O’Neill said. “They’re worried about taking over the world. And we’re not.”
