Middle East
Fueling Epic Fury: Troops down 1 million gallons of coffee, 2 million energy drinks during Iran war
Stars and Stripes
April 8, 2026
U.S. service members consumed nearly a million gallons of coffee and 2 million energy drinks during the roughly six weeks of Operation Epic Fury, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, said Wednesday. (Heather Johnson/U.S. Marine Corps)
U.S. service members consumed nearly a million gallons of coffee and 2 million energy drinks during the roughly six weeks of Operation Epic Fury, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff said.
“Along the way, we consumed more than 6 million meals, and by my estimate, more than 950,000 gallons of coffee, 2 million energy drinks and a lot of nicotine,” said Air Force Gen. Dan Caine at a Pentagon news briefing Wednesday, after providing an update on the number of targets struck in the operation.
“But I’m not saying that we have a problem,” he said.
His comments came after President Donald Trump on Tuesday evening announced a ceasefire had been reached with Iran.
Energy drinks have long been associated with military culture.
A peer-reviewed study of military caffeine consumption, conducted in 2019, found that 87% of active-duty service members said they had at least one caffeinated product a week.
The study, which tallied over 26,000 responses from active-duty troops, also found that coffee was the most popular caffeinated beverage, with 68% of respondents drinking it, while 29% of respondents had energy drinks.
Those in combat duty were more likely to use any caffeinated product, “especially coffee and energy drinks,” the study reported, while combat service support personnel had the highest use of tea, gums and medications.
Stars and Stripes reporter Matthew Adams contributed to this report.