US Army pilots first autonomous dining facility in South Korea

CAMP WALKER, Republic of Korea — On Nov. 12, 2025 the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command opened the Army’s first autonomous dining facility in Korea to explore how automation can improve food service operations. The pilot dining facility, called Market 19, combines automated food preparation, cooking and serving with Soldier oversight.

“This pilot helps us evaluate how automated cooking systems can make Army dining operations more consistent, efficient, and resilient,” said Chief Warrant Officer River Mitchell, food advisor, 19th ESC. He emphasized that the effort is not about replacing people, but about strengthening the ability to feed Soldiers “anytime, anywhere.”

“The pilot originated as a 19th ESC initiative,” Mitchell said. Planning for the pilot facility began in early May of 2025 as an opportunity for 19th ESC to innovate upon the Army food program. “Market 19 represents successful and efficient collaboration between the U.S. Army, Republic of Korea, and industry partners.”

“It was formally approved under the Pacific Multi-Domain Training and Experimentation Capability program in coordination with U.S. Army Pacific.” PMTEC is an Army Pacific initiative that tests and evaluates new technologies to enhance sustainment and readiness across the Indo-Pacific. The project supports PMTEC experimentation and uses funding from the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, which advances deterrence and operational capability in the region.

“Our aim is to add capacity and consistency in feeding operations without changing the current workforce,” Mitchell explained. “The autonomous kitchen uses robotic cooking modules programmed to prepare meals from fresh ingredients following standard Army recipes.” Soldiers and civilians can select menu items on a touchscreen interface and the system automatically portions, cooks, and plates each meal.

“Human oversight remains critical,” Mitchell added. “Our culinary specialists still handle food safety, ingredient prep and quality control.” All ingredients come from the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support supply chain and the Army food catalog, ensuring the same nutrition and safety standards as traditional facilities.

Each meal display includes clear nutritional information, giving Soldiers better visibility into what they are eating. Menu options are performance-oriented and include Korean dishes such as bibimbap, kimchi fried rice, and budae jjigae.

“This system gives us a 24/7 feeding capability that supplements - not replaces - our existing dining operations,” Mitchell said. The pilot runs within the Camp Walker Dining Facility with Soldiers and contracted staff jointly evaluating performance. Culinary specialists manage quality assurance and nutrition education. They also supplement meals with additional food options. The culinary specialists who prepare the meal recipes and ingredients for the machine have been trained extensively by both Army and local national chefs.

“The goal is to free our 92Gs (culinary specialists) to focus on readiness training and improving meal quality,” Mitchell added. “Automation is one way we can modernize without losing our human touch.”

He explained that integrating robotic technology into dining operations allows the Army to stay ready under any condition, from garrison to field environments, while preserving the expertise of its culinary specialists.

The pilot supports the Army’s ongoing modernization efforts and the “People First” initiative by improving operational flexibility and Soldier quality of life. It also aligns with the Holistic Health and Fitness program by giving Soldiers consistent access to balanced, nutritious meals that sustain performance and recovery.

“Consistent, quality food directly supports readiness,” Mitchell said. “If a Soldier eats well, that Soldier performs well.” The six-month pilot will conclude with an assessment on expanding autonomous capabilities and will give the kitchen a chance to enact changes from gathered feedback.

“The data we collect here will guide decisions about future locations and applications,” Mitchell said. “We want to see how this can support sustainment both in the Pacific and eventually in the continental United States.” He emphasized the current phase is strictly evaluative.

“This is an experiment. We’re testing performance, Soldier feedback, and long-term reliability before considering anything broader.”

The Autonomous Kitchen pilot is part of a broader series of Army initiatives focused on sustainment and readiness across the Indo-Pacific region. The PMTEC program, led by U.S. Army Pacific, evaluates new sustainment and logistics technologies in realistic operational environments. Funding comes through the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, a Department of Defense effort that strengthens deterrence and partnership capacity throughout the theater.

Together, these programs enable commands like the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command to test forward-leaning concepts such as Market 19 - advancing modernization while ensuring Soldiers are better fed, better supported, and always ready to fight.