Another report completed by Captain Obvious
US Military Bases
It turns out working in remote, geographically separated locations sucks. Who knew? Well, everyone who’s ever worked at one for one. Anyone they in turn have told how shitty their assignment was for another, so basically everyone in the military. We don’t threaten to send people to Thule, Greenland or Antarctica because they’re hidden gems in the assignments system.
DoD needs to get a handle on quality of life at remote, isolated U.S. bases, report finds
Some troops and families are having to drive three hours to get routine medical care during pregnancy, or commuting 53 miles to work on an installations that are remote or isolated in the U.S., according to a new government report, highlighting the need for Defense officials to look at the full picture of support services for troops and their families at these bases.
DoD needs to gauge the risks of not providing those support services, and develop a strategy to meet those needs of troops and families, according to the report from the Government Accountability Office, which took a deep dive into life some of these U.S. installations.
Since 1989, 43 installations in the United States have been given that “remote or isolated” status for the purposes of morale, welfare and recreation, by either DoD or Congress, auditors said. Three of those were designated by DoD between 2011 and 2020 — Naval Support Activity, Crane, Ind.; Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Calif.; and Fort Hunter Liggett, Monterey, Calif. While there are more than 207 remote or isolated installations worldwide for MWR purposes, this congressionally-mandated report focused on those in the U.S.
For now, that designation matters when it comes to MWR programs. When these installations get that designation of “remote” or “isolated,” they may qualify for additional MWR funding for service members and families, under a process established by DoD. Some key MWR programs are child care and fitness centers, among others.
But there’s more to be considered than MWR, auditors said, and DoD’s current policies for housing, medical care and education don’t include a process for designating a base as remote or isolated for the purpose of extra resources for that particular support service. And without a system for assessing whether those support services are meeting the needs of service members and their families, DoD and the services may not be able to target funding to those needs.
In their response to GAO, DoD officials agreed with the recommendations, and committed to review its policies and to look at the ways military families’ needs are met at these remote locations.
More at the source; Military Times. The shortfalls appear in the categories of medical care, housing, education, and MWR. Which surprises nobody. Except for Congress probably.
Category: "The Floggings Will Continue Until Morale Improves", "Your Tax Dollars At Work", Big Pentagon, Congress sucks, Government Incompetence
If you’re assigned to Cavalier AFS you might as well be in Greenland.
You want to fix this? Here’s a novel idea. Since Kongress Klowne Kritters are grubermint employees, have them use the same benefits and support facilities that would be available to the remotest Combat Out Post we have.
Lawd halp and God Forbid we reallocate resources from Power Point and CRTLGBTQGMAFBWOKE to do something that would benefit ALL of the troops, improve morale, and maybe help with retention rates. But hey, what daPhuque do I know?
Remote locations? Sounds like the perfect place to relocate a bunch of federal offices out of DC.
Would probably solve a buttload of problems
Maybe the Members of Clowngress could take a breather from raking in bribes from lobbyists and jet-setting around at taxpayer expense to actually help those genuinely serving their Country?
Bars seem to do ok, right outside the gate. Strip clubs, too, anywhere but Drum.
The problem seems to have more to do with OBGYN business sense than anything else.
Geezo Pete, anyone who’s been stuck at Great Mistakes knows how remote and isolated it is. It’s worse in winter than in summer, too, with winds blowing right through the barracks hall – er, passageways, off Lake Michigan. Everybody will tell you it’s worse than China Lake.
Chanute AFB in the Illinois corn field flat lands wasn’t any better and it was over 100+ miles south of Great Lakes, a perpetual 25mph breeze and a wind chill that instant freezes snot to a moustache and your ass off despite wearing thermal johns with a standard field jacket with liner plus a face mask and balaclava in the winter, we used to say when it snows in Rantoul it blows thru Indiana and drifts in Ohio. We lived in these old WW2 wooden barracks that were like Swiss cheese in keeping the wind out and a less than adequate heating system , I was only there in the winter(Oct.-March) I don’t know what the misery/pleasure index could’ve been in the summer
Early 80’s I was putting up long distance microwave telephone towers. About 10 miles south of Chanute, we put up a 900′ wire supported beast. Roughly 4 times a day, the F4’s out of Chanute would use the tower as a turn pylon, and see how close they could get. We could read the pilot’s name on the cockpit, and easily wave to them as the screamed by standing on the wing with full burners lit.
The tower would shake like a Vega-Matic on puree from the air pressure smacking into it.
Best tower we put up all that year!
That sounds awesome. I’m terrified of heights, but that would make it worth it.
Central Illinois… in the cornfields…. Grew up there, promised myself that when I joined the Navy I would never move back there. Humidity in the summer was like a blanket of perpetual sweat, and the cornfields and soybean fields didn’t do much to help, either.
Ditto for growing up in the Arlington/Falls Church/DC Metroplex area.
The only place I’ve ever been in that was worse humidity and heat was Keesler AFB/Biloxi MS
They used to say If Cannon AFB was a mile further down the road from Clovis, NM it would get remote status. I used to love(sarc) the smell of jet exhaust comingling with cattle manure in the morning and sweeping snakes off the hard stands……not
Ft Hunter Liggett – been there working as a civilian – was sure glad there is an Army hotel, otherwise it would have been a 25 mile commute each way from King City.
China Lake – not really remote. The city of Ridgecrest is just outside the gate. I lived there while in high school. I still remember the big day when the K-mart opened.
I worked at EST. 1.5 hours one way from SLO!
Can we please sort out the food insecurity issue BEFORE we combat this most recent DoD malady?
How did you nuke types like Idaho Falls? Other than the Hub bar?
This is reason number 238 why I choose to become an infantryman.
Infantry only gets assigned to combat units, which are usually in decently developed areas.
You mean like Fort Polk, which is about as lovely as a landfill?
I was a 2 time loser at Polk. Was there ’84-85, 91-92 (was BRAC’ed) when 5ID was deactivated PCS’d to Hood (2AD) till retirement is 95.
Chanute AFB, IL (1917-1993). Delightful place – nah I kid.
In 1972 when I came down on orders to Berlin the 1st Sergeant said that was a unique assignment. Next day the company clerk topped that by coming down on orders for Johnston Atoll, 750 nautical miles west of Hawaii.
One of the guys I worked with in the AF had spent some time at Eniwetok. Always thought that sounded pretty cool. It’s probably fun for a few weeks and then really, really boring.
Unless you bring your own entertainment (books, cards, chess, amateur radio – can you imagine the “pile ups” when you call “CQ CQ”?)