JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas (December 11, 2025) — The U.S. Army launched the Dining Excellence Initiative, or DINEX, today to modernize food service operations across Army training installations.

A combined endeavor between the Mission and Installation Contracting Command (MICC) and the Army Sustainment Command (ASC), the initiative is designed to leverage commercial innovation to provide Soldiers with healthy, convenient and appealing food options that support readiness, resilience and performance during training and missions. Army initial entry training units oversee the training, well-being and professional development of every Soldier, requiring food service operations that align with fixed, high-tempo schedules and concentrated dining flow rates.

“DINEX is the next step in ensuring the training environment supports a well-nourished, motivated and resilient force,” said Brig, Gen. Freddy Adams, commanding general, MICC. “The DINEX initiative underscores the MICC and the Army’s commitment to continuous modernization, ensuring Soldier sustainment remains a cornerstone of readiness for future battlefields.”

ASC is responsible for ensuring logistics and sustainment initiatives like DINEX effectively and efficiently generate sustainment readiness across the force. MICC contracting experts will execute DINEX through a Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) that will be awarded as an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA). The MICC’s Installation Readiness Center, is managing the process as part of the Army’s broader Acquisition Transformation Strategy.

“The use of the CSO/OTA pathway for DINEX is intentional. It allows us to bypass the bureaucratic hurdles of traditional acquisition and maximize collaboration with our established industry partners while bringing in nontraditional defense contractors,” said Clay Cole, MICC deputy to the commanding general. “This flexible process is critical for quickly identifying and fielding cutting-edge commercial solutions needed to sustain our force.”

The Army plans to test the initial DINEX prototype at Fort Lee, Virginia and Fort Rucker, Alabama. Successful projects may be selected for follow-on production agreements, potentially expanding implementation across other major Army locations.

The MICC issued a draft CSO Dec. 11, 2025, on SAM.gov. Companies are encouraged to review and provide feedback no later than Jan. 12, 2026. The Army anticipates issuing a final CSO on or around Jan. 26, 2026.

About the MICC
Headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, the Mission and Installation Contracting Command consists of about 1,500 military and civilian members who are responsible for contracting goods and services in support of Soldiers as well as readying trained contracting units for the operating force and contingency environment when called upon. As part of its mission, MICC contracts are vital in feeding more than 200,000 Soldiers every day, providing many daily base operations support services at installations, facilitate training in the preparation of more than 100,000 conventional force members annually, training more than 500,000 students each year, and maintaining more than 14.4 million acres of land and 170,000 structures.