Many of America’s service members are living in substandard conditions, according to a coalition of military resident advocacy groups.
“The risks posed by these hazardous conditions, which include poor air quality, contaminated water, indoor toxins, pollutants, and carcinogens not only threaten the health of service members but also their resilience and readiness. This health threat poses a broader risk to national security,” a release posted online by the advocacy group Hots&Cots said. Names of the other groups were not listed.
The release said that among the hazards plaguing military bases are mold, poor air quality, contaminated drinking water, peeling lead paint, pest infestations, and other hazards.
The release said that the Department of Defense is not responsive to the crisis.
“The Department of Defense must act sooner rather than later to address the quality-of-life issues facing our service members,” Rob Evans, founder of Hots&Cots, said in the release.
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“Every day that these issues go unresolved is another day that the well-being and morale of those who serve are compromised,” he said.
NBC noted that Hots&Cots allows service members to anonymously post images of their living conditions.
Photos submitted show what is said to be mold on the ceiling of U.S. Army Garrison Red Cloud in South Korea and brown water from a tap at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey.
“This stuff matters,” Evans said. “If we are asking someone to enlist and serve their country, this matters.”
Should the Pentagon address these issues immediately?
A 2023 Government Accountability Office report indicted the Pentagon overlooks the conditions in which service members live.
“DOD assessments of conditions are unreliable. GAO observed barracks that pose potentially serious health and safety risks — such as broken windows and inoperable fire systems — and that do not meet minimum DOD standards for privacy and configuration. Thousands of service members live in barracks below standards, according to officials,” the GAO report said.
The report said living conditions have not been a Pentagon priority.
“DOD does not track information on the condition of barracks or facilitate collaboration on initiatives to improve barracks. Insufficient oversight hampers DOD’s ability to identify and address long-standing challenges in barracks conditions across the department,” the report said.
A Defense Department representative said the Pentagon has created a Housing Feedback System, allowing service members and their families to post complaints, according to NBC.
“We have a moral obligation to ensure that the spaces where our service members and their families live are healthy, functional, and resilient,” the representative said.
“The new feedback system will help improve installation conditions today and the quality standards Service members and their families deserve,” the representative said.
Evans told the Fayetteville Observer that founding the reporting website was personal, because although he was a third-generation service member, barracks conditions made him think twice about recommending a military career.
“Soldiers who join the military are wanting a better life for themselves,” he said. “Me, personally, I grew up in a pretty poor house — mold, bugs and didn’t have running water at times. So when I enlisted in the military, I wanted a better life, and it wouldn’t feel right for somebody to try to get out of that situation to go to an equally bad position where they’re living with rodents or mold.”
“I’m hoping that the military will put me out of business, so they have something like this for soldiers and for the public to see,” he said. “I want the better barracks and dining facilities for soldiers and also to have some sort of accountability.”
Republican Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina said he wants action on making improvements, according to NBC.
“The Army needs to get serious about addressing the appalling conditions our soldiers are living in on bases like Fort Bragg/Fort Liberty,” Hudson said. “As the representative of the largest military base in the world, I will continue to hold Army Secretary [Christine] Wormuth accountable until our troops receive the high-quality housing they deserve.”
