KP duty

A service member is sometimes "put on KP" for some minor infraction committed while on duty, in uniform, or on a military installation, something that would not require an Article 15 or non-judicial punishment hearing.

[3] KP duties, however, can include any tedious chores in the military mess at an installation or in the field, such as food preparation, although not cooking, or the more obvious dish washing and pot scrubbing, sweeping and mopping floors, wiping tables, serving food on the chow line, or anything else the kitchen staff sees fit to assign to its KP crew.

Mess halls for the modern U.S. military are often contracted out to civilian firms, making KP duty less common today than it once was.

For most sailors this will mean being sent to a shore-based or shipboard galley, which includes, but is not limited to, washing dishes in the scullery, food prep, mess deck cleaning, and/or line server.

Upon completion of 90 days' TAD, a Page 13 entry is made into the individual's service record to prevent reassignment to the galley or mess deck.