Energy Drinks in the Military: Rip Its, Data, and the Rules
Roon Team
Energy Drinks in the Military: Rip Its, Data, and the Rules
Energy drinks are legal, widely available, and heavily used across the U.S. military. The free 8 oz Rip It in deployed dining facilities made them a fixture starting in 2004, and the habit has only grown. The military's own health guidance is not a ban. It is a dose rule: 200 mg of caffeine or less every 4 hours, under 400 mg a day except during sustained operations, and nothing within 6 hours of sleep.
The data say most deployed troops blow past it.
Key Takeaways
- The Defense Logistics Agency shipped over 175 million cans of Rip It to CENTCOM between 2009 and 2018, $165 million worth.
- A 2010 survey of 988 deployed service members found 44.8% drank at least one energy drink daily; those drinking three or more were about 60% more likely to report sleeping four hours or less.
- The Army's caffeine guidance (2016, updated 2020) caps intake at 200 mg per product, 200 mg every 4 hours, nothing within 6 hours of sleep.
- In 2026, Operation Epic Fury consumed 2 million energy drinks in 38 days.
How Rip It Became the Military's Energy Drink
National Beverage Corporation, better known for LaCroix and Faygo, launched Rip It in 2004. That same year, military contractors began shipping it to Iraq and Afghanistan. An Army spokesman told Stars and Stripes the drink was adopted as the DFAC energy drink "because it was the most cost-effective."
The 8 oz cans showed up free in CENTCOM dining facilities: roughly 100 mg of caffeine alongside taurine and guarana seed extract, plus about 25 g of sugar. Between 2009 and 2018, the Defense Logistics Agency shipped more than 175 million cans to CENTCOM, $165 million worth.
How Much Caffeine Deployed Soldiers Actually Take In
Knapik et al. (2018) measured caffeine intake among soldiers in Afghanistan (2011 to 2012):
| Survey | n | Mean Daily Caffeine | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| J-MHAT 8 | 518 | 404 ± 18 mg | All surveyed troops |
| USARIEM Deployment Survey | 260 | 303 ± 29 mg | Overall mean |
| USARIEM, combat arms | subset | 483 ± 100 mg | Infantry, armor, artillery |
| USARIEM, combat service support | subset | 235 ± 23 mg | Logistics, admin, medical |
Over 55% of total caffeine came from energy drinks, not coffee. The average combat-arms soldier in Afghanistan was above the FDA's 400 mg daily reference from energy drinks alone.
What the Walter Reed Data Found About Sleep
The first large study came from J-MHAT 7 data collected in Afghanistan in 2010, published by the CDC in MMWR (2012). Researchers surveyed 988 service members:
| Measure | 3+ drinks/day | 1-2 drinks/day | None |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily energy drink use | 13.9% of sample | 30.9% | 55.2% |
| Slept ≤4 hours | 38.2% | 18.4% | 23.9% |
| Fell asleep in briefings | 21.3% | 11.2% | (ref) |
| Fell asleep on guard duty | 14.0% | 7.4% | (ref) |
Falling asleep on guard duty is a safety issue, not a wellness issue. The authors noted the study was cross-sectional: people who sleep less may drink more energy drinks to compensate, not the other way around.
Toblin et al. (2018) surveyed 627 male infantry soldiers seven months post-deployment. 75.7% reported past-month energy drink use; about one in six drank two or more a day. High-frequency use was associated with mental health problems (adjusted odds ratios 2.0 to 2.7), aggressive behaviors (adjusted odds ratios 2.3 to 3.5), and fatigue. The authors called for longitudinal work to sort out direction of effect.
What the Army Actually Said in December 2016
The guidance, carried by Military.com and Army.mil, quoted Patricia Deuster, director of CHAMP at the Uniformed Services University: if a product has more than 200 mg of caffeine, do not use it. Cap intake at 200 mg every 4 hours. She also flagged the sugar content (27 g in some cans) and cautioned against mixing with alcohol. It was guidance, not a ban.
The Current Rules, from the Documents
The DoD Nutrition Committee position statement (April 2020) and the OPSS guidance (March 2020) formalized the rules:
- Products with 200 mg of caffeine or less for sustained operations.
- No more than 200 mg every 4 hours, below 400 mg a day in routine conditions.
- Up to 800 mg per 24 hours only during unavoidable sleep loss.
- No caffeine within 6 hours of sleep. Do not mix with alcohol.
- Aviation communities: supplements only with flight surgeon approval.
The Army also developed caffeine-scheduling tools. WRAIR's 2B-Alert algorithm and Stay Alert caffeinated gum (100 mg per piece) represent the other side of the story: not "stop drinking it," but "dose it on purpose."
Did Fort Drum Ban Energy Drinks?
Not exactly. In December 2020, energy drinks were removed from barracks vending machines at Fort Drum, home of the 10th Mountain Division. Military Times reported it was a cooperative effort between the Garrison, 10th Mountain Division, and AAFES "to provide healthier options to Soldiers living in the barracks." The PX still stocked them. It was a vending-machine policy, not a ban.
Unit and installation policies vary. Recruits in initial training should assume outside consumables, including energy drinks, are not permitted until told otherwise.
2026: Operation Epic Fury by the Numbers
Over 38 days involving more than 50,000 service members, Military.com reported the force consumed 950,000 gallons of coffee and 2 million energy drinks. Gen. Dan Caine: "I am not saying that we have a problem."
That works out to roughly 40 energy drinks per service member over 38 days. About one a day, right where the data start to flag sleep problems.
What Service Members Use Instead of a Fourth Can
The data and the rules point the same direction: fewer cans per day, not zero caffeine. Three formats fit the 200 mg per 4 hours rule without stacking sugar: coffee (still dominant by volume), caffeinated gum like Military Energy Gum at 100 mg per piece, and caffeine pouches, a sublingual format that sits in the lip, hands-free in a vehicle or on a post.
All are subject to the same unit, installation, and flight-surgeon rules as any caffeine product.
The Pattern in the Data
Energy drinks are not going away in the military. They are too available, too useful during sustained operations, and too ingrained for that. The evidence is consistent across 16 years: high-frequency use (three or more a day) is associated with less sleep, more daytime impairment, and worse post-deployment outcomes. No study has proven that energy drinks cause those problems rather than accompany them.
The practical answer is not abstinence. It is the rule the military already wrote: 200 mg or less, every 4 hours, nothing within 6 hours of sleep. The third and fourth can is where the data turn, and the caffeine curfew before sleep matters as much as the daily total.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do soldiers drink so many energy drinks?
Sleep loss during deployment is structural, not a choice. Night operations, guard duty rotations, and sustained mission timelines create chronic deficits. Caffeine is a legitimate countermeasure, and energy drinks are the most accessible format in DFACs and PXs. The Knapik (2018) data confirmed that over 55% of deployed caffeine came from energy drinks, used to offset sleep loss during night operations.
Are energy drinks banned in the military?
No. Energy drinks are legal and sold on every major installation. The DoD guidance (2020) sets a dosing rule, not a prohibition: 200 mg per product, 200 mg every 4 hours, under 400 mg a day in routine conditions. Individual units can set stricter policies, and aviation communities require flight surgeon approval for supplements.
What energy drink does the military give out?
Rip It, made by National Beverage Corp., was the primary energy drink supplied free in CENTCOM dining facilities starting in 2004. The Defense Logistics Agency shipped over 175 million cans to CENTCOM between 2009 and 2018. Other brands are available at PX retail, but Rip It was the free DFAC standard.
How much caffeine is in a Rip It?
The 8 oz can supplied in deployed DFACs contains roughly 100 mg of caffeine plus taurine, guarana seed extract, and about 25 g of sugar. The 16 oz retail can contains more. The 8 oz military can is the one referenced in most deployment studies.
Can you have energy drinks in basic training?
Recruits in initial entry training should assume outside consumables, including energy drinks, are not permitted unless told otherwise. Policies vary by branch and installation. Once past initial training, energy drinks are generally available on post.
What does the Army recommend for caffeine on a mission?
Products with 200 mg or less, no more than every 4 hours, below 400 mg daily under normal conditions. Up to 800 mg only during unavoidable sustained sleep loss. No caffeine within 6 hours of planned sleep. WRAIR developed the 2B-Alert algorithm to schedule caffeine doses for peak alertness during missions.
200 mg Every 4 Hours Is the Rule. 80 mg Is the Easy Way to Follow It.
The military wrote a 200 mg per 4 hours rule, and the free can is about 100 mg with 25 g of sugar. One can fits. Three do not.
Roon is 80 mg of caffeine in a sublingual pouch, paired with 60 mg L-theanine, 25 mg methylliberine (Dynamine), and 5 mg theacrine (TeaCrine). No can, no sugar, no liquid. It sits in the lip, hands free in a vehicle or on a post.
Methylliberine slows caffeine's clearance: in a randomized, double-blind crossover PK study (n=12), co-administration extended caffeine's half-life from 7.2 to 15 hours with no increase in peak concentration. That study used 100 mg methylliberine and 150 mg caffeine (roughly 4x and 1.9x what Roon contains), so the magnitude will differ, but the mechanism is directionally the same. The felt window is 6 to 8 hours. On a 12-hour shift, that is the difference between one pouch and a third can. A longer half-life also means stopping at least 8 hours before planned sleep.
The same unit, installation, and flight-surgeon rules apply to any caffeine product, Roon included. If your command restricts stimulants or outside consumables, this is not for that environment. Tins start at $9.16 on a 12-tin subscription ($0.61 per pouch) or $15.00 one-time for 4 tins. US shipping only. Try Roon.
Related from Roon
- How the Army Schedules Caffeine on Purpose: 2B-Alert and the 200 mg Rule
- How Many Energy Drinks a Day Is Too Many?
- Best Energy Gum: Military Energy Gum and More
- Night Shift Caffeine Schedule
Written by Roon Team
