Mission readiness, recruitment, retention all risked by hunger Massive defense budget still leaves some short of assistance May 20, 2021 5:01 AM By Megan U. Boyanton The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated hunger among military families, adding to pressure on bipartisan lawmakers to grant them more federal nutrition assistance. Democratic and Republican supporters on the Hill have pushed their colleagues for years to help hungry Americans in uniform, pointing to food insecurity as a risk to mission readiness, recruitment, and retention. In spite of the countryâs $700 billion-plus defense budget, low-income troops and their families can get barred from some government food aid, relying on