Some action on barracks? Maybe

The Pentagon has issued new standards for barracks (“dorms” for you Air Force guys) which apply to all unaccompanied housing.

The policy makes clear “zero visible mold” is the standard for all unaccompanied housing, and it establishes minimum living space requirements for all junior service members. The new rules also require parking for 70% of all troops lodged in each barracks, mandates that barracks have one washer and two dryers for every 15 service members, and directs that doors entering from a corridor have functional peep holes.

Last year, the Navy ordered a service-wide inspection of barracks after Navy Secretary John Phelan was “shocked and dismayed” by the conditions of barracks at Anderson Air Force Base, Guam.

We have discussed substandard barracks conditions several times before here.  The Pentagon typically has trotted out the same old dog every time…privatizing. Let’s let the civilians run to barracks maintenance, because they are bound to be better at it, right? Think by now we all see the cliche coming – “that dog won’t hunt.” But it has always looked like the big reason for that is no teeth – no penalty clauses in contracts – no way to enforce that if someone wants to run the living quarters for our kids, that they also need to maintain them properly – and get hurt when they cut corners.

Under the new policy, “urgent” problems, such as mold issues, must be addressed starting within eight hours after a work order is issued, and they need to be solved within seven calendar days. “Emergency” problems, such as plumbing and electrical issues, must be remedied within 24 hours of the work order.

Created in response to the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, the new policy applies to both new and existing barracks without exception, and it is meant to replace previous “inconsistent” guidelines among the military branches, a statement from the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Housing says.

To underscore that the standards are mandatory, the policy includes a clause that explicitly says the criteria for design standards cannot be waived, according to the statement, which was provided to Task & Purpose.  Task & Purpose I

Wonder how that “minimum living space” will work. X number of square feet per person is the usual, but the method of calculating it can get a little, shall we say, flexible. It’s easy when you are building something new – apportioning previously built areas gets tricky. I believe in the old WWII-era German barracks we lived in, the standard was something like 110 square feet per person, but capacity was derived from taking the entire living space on each floor and dividing by 110. Led to some “interesting” three- and four-man rooms that were nowhere close to actual requirements.

Treating our kids like we wouldn’t treat a dog, huh… except we treat dogs even worse.

Four military working dogs died over a three-year period at bases across the country because they were housed in aging kennels that were not kept in good condition, a Pentagon report found. Kennels at bases around the U.S. did not protect dogs “from extreme weather conditions, kennel mold issues, or manage quarantine and isolation areas,” a report from The DoD Inspector General found.

The IG also found conditions of neglect at the military-wide hub for dog training, the Air Force’s 341st Training Base at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas.

The conditions cited will just piss you off.

Overall, the report found that 10 of 12 inspected kennels had “aging and unsatisfactory” facilities, which caused the death of four working dogs from fiscal year 2021 through 2023. The IG said that the Pentagon had not prioritized renovation or new construction which led to the “unsatisfactory kennel facility conditions” that caused the dogs’ deaths and could pose future health and behavioral risks.

At bases with hot desert climates in California and Texas, the IG found that dogs were kept in open-air cages during the summer months. At the 341st in Texas, the IG found that over a three-year span, 22 dogs sustained heat injuries while living outside.

The watchdog also found that dogs were exposed to health hazards at a variety of bases. Dogs at Fort Bragg, North Carolina were exposed to mold, while those at Joint Base Langley–Eustis, Virginia, were put in kennels with poor ventilation and left with standing water that contained canine waste.

Kennel upgrades could end up costing the services a chunk of money. In a Feb. 20 release, officials from Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina reported that they just finished kennel upgrades that began in 2023 and cost nearly $3.2 million. Officials said the renovations increased the space to house more dogs, added sound-dampening panels to “reduce kennel anxiety” and fencing that “prevents visual agitation,” and added flooring to reduce moisture and skin issues.

$3.2 million? You could rebuild new climate controlled kennels from the ground up for that. Here’s from the 321st at San Antonio:

While the IG found that dogs were well cared for during the unit’s formal 120-day working dog course, the inspectors found significant issues among those in a “non-training” status. These dogs are typically just arriving at the unit, awaiting a final assignment or deployment, a medical disposition, or have been rejected from continuing their working dog careers.

The IG report found that regulations require dogs to get five hours each day of physical activity, social and cognitive enrichment, which they generally receive during the working dog training course. But non-training dogs, the IG found, instead had 10-minute walks four times a week or less. The 341st squadron commander told the IG that the kennel instead provided dogs with “holistic enrichment” with inflatables, audio books, music, and scented bubble machines. Task & Purpose II

BUBBLE MACHINES?

Category: Pentagon