SECWAR on Barracks Conditions
Defense Secretary Hegseth launches task force to fix chronic issues in barracks
By Eleanor Watson
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memo Thursday launching a task force to improve living conditions in barracks across the military. In the memo, he wrote, “Quality of life for our Warriors is a critical component to reviving our warrior ethos and rebuilding our military.”
He’s giving the task force 30 days to deliver a barracks improvement plan.
The defense secretary announced the task force earlier this week in a visit to Naval Air Station Oceana.
“It is simply unacceptable that in some cases, our warriors continue to live in substandard housing. Every warfighter of our joint force deserves housing that is clean, comfortable, and safe,” Hegseth said.
He referenced a 2023 Government Accountability Report that included pictures of the filthy conditions at some of the barracks and said “poor living conditions undermine quality of life and readiness” of the U.S. military.
The GAO apparently discovered that poor military living conditions undermine quality of life and readiness. Now there’s a leap. OK, now what? Thanks to Chip for the link.
Category: Big Pentagon, Guest Link
I’d say his interest in the subject gives the troops more hope than anything the previous administration ever thought about doing. I look forward to seeing how pissed off he gets and whose head(s) are going to roll.
I hope there are many.
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t recall too many horrific barracks issues back when we were doing the occasional barracks GI Parties, had R&U NCOs to assist in repairs and Squad Leaders/Plt Sgts performing regular barracks inspections.
My work takes me to several Army Posts all over the country. There is SO MUCH that Soldiers no longer do. All grass cutting and landscaping is done by contractors, and it’s not done well. All of the grass at FT Gordon was waist high a few months ago when I was there last. Painting, don’t by contractors. I remember every unit that I was ever on while AD had “Post Beautification Days”. I think that that’s where the problems started. You are right, let Soldiers do it.
Well, when they start getting paid again!!
I agree with having the troops clean up after themselves; however, I don’t agree with assigning troops to details taking all week or all month. Lemme tell you why and I can only speak from my USAF experience. When I was a tech training instructor I had to find out how Uncle Sam charged Uncle Sam for my school. The amount came to six figures. If it costs over $100,000.00 per Airman for tech school, which leads up to at least six months on the job training, for a job that may last 4 years, and the Airman is six or more months into that 4 years after graduating tech school, there’s no way I want him/her out sweeping the parking lot. I want the troops doing the jobs they were trained and being paid for.
Not a big fan of sweeping the parking lot either, but maintaining the building and room where you lay your head down most nights shouldn’t be out of the question. After my life in the barracks, living in base housing we were required to maintain our quarters. As a fat civilian, I’m still pretty much required to keep my house habitable or the code people come knocking. Reckon this old NCO would have a rough time in today’s Army….lol
Post garrison has soldiers assigned to it– not to mention a thing called the “post duty company” that rotates– for a reason.
Yea I wonder also whatever happened to Saturday morning standby, white collar, inspections? Many Friday nights activity’s shortened by GI party’s!
“housing that is clean, comfortable, and safe,”
This.
When you get old and it’s just you and the dog, those
lessons learned from military service come in handy.
Specially the “safe” part.
“The GAO apparently discovered that poor military living conditions undermine quality of life and readiness.”
That crashing sound you just heard was me falling off my barstool. I never knew that living conditions could be so important for America’s military men and women…color me shocked
Gosh, what will they discover (again) next?!
https://www.texasguntalk.com/attachments/shocked-shocked-casablanca-webp.217865/
‘Bout damn time!
The “GAO found” a problem that has persisted for a couple of decades now.
No shit.
Enough talking about it and fucking correct it.
Heads should roll for this failure of leadership.
How about they be the ones to do the cleaning up the mess they caused ?
For the duration of time they were in said position ?
Step one:
Until the problem is resolved, all GO/FO live in enlisted barracks and are restricted to the company area / (Navy equiv) when not on actual duty.
No, that does not include spouses.
Now, this is going back about 43 years, but I was stationed at Camp Geiger, and we only had the newer brick open barracks and the old WWII era cinder-block barracks with the outdoor heads (the Lejeune ilk had modern three-man rooms). So that was that but aside from the occasional roach that was more our fault for the all the empty pizza boxes piled up in the shit cans on any given weekend, I had no issues. For Cripe sake, we were grunts and didn’t know any better. Unless it’s an issue of mold or backed up plumbing, what is the problem with barracks?