California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) plans to put hundreds of automated pizza kiosks on U.S. military installations, according to a company release. The machines would serve bases for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.The kiosks use TurboChef cooking technology and a touch screen to deliver a pizza in as little as 90 seconds, the release said. CPK calls the military plan part of a wider effort to run up to 1,000 automated retail machines nationwide over three years, in places such as airports, universities and hospitals.Ranger Group, led by CEO and Army Ranger veteran Mark Jones, would coordinate the phased deployment with military stakeholders, including installation logistics and ongoing support. Michael Beacham, president of California Pizza Kitchen Global, said the plan is “an expression of our gratitude” and a step toward wider access. The release names no bases, start date or prices.From airports to basesCPK says the military plan builds on its automated retail strategy and targets places where a traditional restaurant may not be practical, according to the release. The company said the machines would give service members a meal option on base or at sea. Vending Times reported in August that T-ROC Global, a retail services firm, would deploy and operate up to 1,000 CPK machines. The trade outlet also said kiosks already ran at Boston Logan, Atlanta, Dallas Love Field and Dayton airports, with 15 more due at universities by the end of 2026. The military announcement does not mention T-ROC, so how the partners divide the work is unclear.Robotic pizza is not new. IE reported in 2021 that Stellar Pizza, founded by former SpaceX engineers, could make, bake and top a pizza in under five minutes, according to Business Insider. In 2020, Picnic’s assembly robot served attendees at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, with each unit able to make up to 300 12-inch (30-centimeter) pizzas an hour.Open questions and next stepsThe release does not say how many machines each service branch would get, which installations come first or whether the military has approved placements. It also gives no price, no installation schedule and no figure beyond hundreds for the military program. It calls the plan the first of its kind, a claim not independently verified. The 1,000 figure is an upper limit, and the release does not say whether base machines count toward it.The release describes freshly baked pizza, while the Orange County Business Journal reported that the kiosks can cook a frozen pizza. Ranger Group’s role is described only as coordination and support, so it is unclear who would own and stock the machines on base. Jones said in the release that a quality meal matters to service members and their families after long days of training or duty.CPK said the rollout will proceed in phases, starting with domestic installations and possibly expanding to overseas facilities later.