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Rejoice, overworked service members of the world: the Department of Defense plans on putting beer and wine on the shelves of local commissaries at some point in the next 90 days, according to a DoD memo signed by the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness Robert Wilkie and obtained by Military Times.

  • The decision was a no-brainer: making beer and wine available at commissaries “will increase customer satisfaction and convenience, and align with common commercial grocery store practices,” according to the April 27 memo.
  • While spirits are excluded from the menu for fairly obvious reasons (see: Article 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice), Military Times reports that the prices will at least remain comparable to those libations available at the military exchanges — although it's worth noting that prices at commissaries tend to fluctuate on a weekly basis.
  • The big question: Plenty of scientific research suggests that making even tobacco available at military commissaries is a challenge to short-term readiness. Wouldn't that logic apply to the specter of chronic binge-drinking that's proven an ongoing problem among various service branches?

According to Military Times, commissary officials will dispense beer and wine along the same rules and regulations as military exchanges, including “responsible use.” Still, nothing beat slamming down a cold one after a long day of standing by to stand by.

This post is part of BULLET POINTS, our running SITREP of the military stories you need to read now. Sign up for more updates in your inbox here.

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