(NaturalNews) Despite the fact that the Obama administration has made a number of pledges to improve the lives of U.S. veterans, far too many have slipped through bureaucratic cracks and remain in dire need of assistance.

Even those who are still on active duty do not fare well, especially lower enlisted ranks – many of whom still need supplemental food assistance just to be able to feed their families.

As reported by Truth Out, military members on active duty spent $24 million in food stamps at military commissary centers on base between September 2014 to August 2015. In addition, 45 percent of students in schools operated by the military are currently eligible free lunches or meals at reduced prices. This should not happen to service members in the richest country on the planet.

For several years now, the Pentagon has been stung by reports that many of its soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines – especially younger troops with families – have to struggle financially just to get by, and this is in spite of the fact that most are housed at military bases. A recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) also found that the Defense Department is unaware of just how serious the problem really is.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – most commonly known as "food stamps," is managed by the Department of Agriculture. But neither the Pentagon nor the USDA tracks the number of active duty service personnel who are receiving SNAP benefits, the GAO said, as noted by Truth Out. Worse, no one at the Defense Department or in Congress appears concerned enough to determine the scale of this problem - and then fix it - anytime soon.

Multi-faceted problem

Base salaries for lower-ranking personnel begin as low as $18,800 per year. A military member making that wage in a two-person household qualifies for food assistance under current SNAP guidelines.