The Meal, Ready-to-Eat commonly known as the MRE – is a self-contained, individual field ration in lightweight packaging bought by the United States Department of Defense for its service members for use in combat or other field conditions where organized food facilities are not available. While Meal, Ready-to-Eat should be kept cool, they do not need to be refrigerated. Meal, Ready-to-Eat replaced the canned MCI, or Meal, Combat, Individual rations, in 1981, and is the intended successor to the lighter LRP ration developed by the United States Army for Special Forces and Ranger patrol units in Vietnam. Meal, Ready-to-Eat have also been distributed to civilians during natural disasters.