The Marines are getting a new combat ration. On the menu: a chicken burrito bowl.

Marines are deploying with a new combat ration — that is, stuff to eat — built for the first days of war

The new ration condenses what would normally be three Meal, Ready-to-Eat packets into a single daily package, reducing the weight troops carry to free space for ammunition, batteries, and other mission-essential gear.

The Defense Logistics Agency, which manages and develops the rations, told Business Insider that the C-CAR is intended for use during the first 72 hours of a conflict, when troops need a lighter, less bulky alternative to traditional MREs.

The 13th MEU recently deployed to the Middle East with the new rations after they entered service last year. Business Insider spent three days on the USS Makin Island with the 13th MEU off the coast of California this summer as they prepared for their deployment.

There are just three menu options— spaghetti, chicken burrito bowl, and beef stew.

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Burdick said his unit first encountered the rations during an exercise last year— because each of the nearly 300 Marines he was responsible for feeding carried enough food from the outset, logisticians conducted fewer resupply missions, reducing both the supply burden and its signature in the field, he explained.

The rations remain in the early stages of fielding, Burdick said, with Marines using them alongside traditional MREs as the Corps gathers feedback from units to guide future ration development.